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They Can't Kill Us All: The Story of Black Lives Matter
Book
'A devastating front-line account of the police killings and the young activism that sparked one of...
BookwormLea (3034 KP) rated The Hunger Games in Books
Jun 17, 2020 (Updated Jun 17, 2020)
My favourite series.
Contains spoilers, click to show
I've read this book probably about 7 times.... I adore this series. The world that Collins has created is fantastically unique. As horrible as it seems, I would have loved to experience it in real life. It's such a rollercoaster of emotions and I really didn't want it to end. I'm so glad this is a trilogy. And I'm only writing this now because I reread the series in preparation for the newly released Prequel book, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
In a dystopian future, the city of Panem is split into 12 Districts and a beautiful Capitol. Ran by the horror that is President Snow. Katniss Everdeen is our heroine from the mining District 12. In a tournament known as the Hunger Games, 2 contestants from each district, one male and one female, are chosen at random to compete to the death in an arena. This book is set during the 74th annual Hunger Games. It is also the first year Katniss' younger sister Primrose, can be entered. Unlucky as she is, her name is drawn. Katniss heroically (or stupidly) volunteers asks tribute. The first tribute for District 12. She is to train with neighbour Peeta, the bakers son. Their trainer is District 12s only past winner, Haymitch. A rude, drunk, cynical man who isn't much good for anything. They are brought to the Capitol, which is home to the wealthiest of Panem, and are literally paraded through the city dressed in garments that represent their District. Thank you Cinna, their personal stylist, for the fabulous flaming costumes!
After an extensive training sessions, they begin the games. Watched by every citizen in Panem, bet on and laughed at. The wealthy citizens can become sponsors and send the tributes things to help, but only if you are worth it.
As you imagine, blood, gore and death. In the final moments, we find Peeta and Katniss still alive, along with District 1 (the favourite) Cato. Eventually, they leave the arena, despite only one person having supposed to win. Brought out to be celebrated for not dying. To move into the Victor's Village in District 12 with their families.
In a dystopian future, the city of Panem is split into 12 Districts and a beautiful Capitol. Ran by the horror that is President Snow. Katniss Everdeen is our heroine from the mining District 12. In a tournament known as the Hunger Games, 2 contestants from each district, one male and one female, are chosen at random to compete to the death in an arena. This book is set during the 74th annual Hunger Games. It is also the first year Katniss' younger sister Primrose, can be entered. Unlucky as she is, her name is drawn. Katniss heroically (or stupidly) volunteers asks tribute. The first tribute for District 12. She is to train with neighbour Peeta, the bakers son. Their trainer is District 12s only past winner, Haymitch. A rude, drunk, cynical man who isn't much good for anything. They are brought to the Capitol, which is home to the wealthiest of Panem, and are literally paraded through the city dressed in garments that represent their District. Thank you Cinna, their personal stylist, for the fabulous flaming costumes!
After an extensive training sessions, they begin the games. Watched by every citizen in Panem, bet on and laughed at. The wealthy citizens can become sponsors and send the tributes things to help, but only if you are worth it.
As you imagine, blood, gore and death. In the final moments, we find Peeta and Katniss still alive, along with District 1 (the favourite) Cato. Eventually, they leave the arena, despite only one person having supposed to win. Brought out to be celebrated for not dying. To move into the Victor's Village in District 12 with their families.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Deadly Class in TV
Jul 3, 2020
Teenage Angst, Romance & The Deadly Arts - 8/10
Deadly Class is a tv series airing on SYFY based on the graphic novel created by Rick Remander and Wesley Craig and published by Image Comics. Developed by by Miles Orion Feldscott and produced by the Russo brothers, it's set in a much more macabre late 1980's San Francisco. For me this show has been addicting and is easy to get swept up in the chaos of the halls of Kong's Dominion.
Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth) is a recently homeless orphan who is inducted into a boarding school of elite assassins called King's Dominion. Recruited off the streets by a gang of students, mainly Saya (Lana Condor), on orders by the headmaster Master Lin (Benedict Wong). He must learn the deadly arts while navigating the perilous halls and vicious social cliques in the free-for-all that is King's Dominion. The institution's a place where the world's top mob and crime families send their children to become better killers and it's graduates include serial killers and government assassins.
This show might not be for everyone but I have found it really enjoyable. It's very cliche at times and definitely has it's standard archetypes but the characters pop with personality especially when the show goes into these really awesome motion comic scenes when delving into their personal backgrounds. The action is definitely top class and keeps the show going but it's not able to always keep that tension when not in the halls or classrooms of the school where anything can happen. By the 1st or 2nd episode you'll know if it's for you. I particularly like how the main group is a bunch of misfits who come together and the progression of the main character. Like i said, I give it a 8/10.
Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth) is a recently homeless orphan who is inducted into a boarding school of elite assassins called King's Dominion. Recruited off the streets by a gang of students, mainly Saya (Lana Condor), on orders by the headmaster Master Lin (Benedict Wong). He must learn the deadly arts while navigating the perilous halls and vicious social cliques in the free-for-all that is King's Dominion. The institution's a place where the world's top mob and crime families send their children to become better killers and it's graduates include serial killers and government assassins.
This show might not be for everyone but I have found it really enjoyable. It's very cliche at times and definitely has it's standard archetypes but the characters pop with personality especially when the show goes into these really awesome motion comic scenes when delving into their personal backgrounds. The action is definitely top class and keeps the show going but it's not able to always keep that tension when not in the halls or classrooms of the school where anything can happen. By the 1st or 2nd episode you'll know if it's for you. I particularly like how the main group is a bunch of misfits who come together and the progression of the main character. Like i said, I give it a 8/10.
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy
Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg
Book
From Facebook's COO and Wharton's top-rated professor, the #1 New York Times best-selling authors of...
TU
The Ultimate Chinese Martial Art: The Science of the Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms and its Wellness Applications
Li Jun Feng, Ge Chun Yan and Tom Tong Luo
Book
The Ultimate Chinese Martial Art - The Science of the Weaving Stance Bagua 64 Forms and the Wellness...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Shrine of Jeffery Dahmer in Books
Mar 20, 2021
39 of 250
Book
The Shrine of Jeffery Dahmer
By Brian Masters
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
AN UNSPEAKABLE CRIME
When he was arrested in July 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer had a severed head in the refrigerator, two more in the freezer, two skulls and a skeleton in a filing cabinet.
A DEPRIVED ACT
But if anything could be more disturbing than the brute horror of this scene, it was the evidence that Dahmer had been using these human remains not only for sexual gratification, but as part of a dark ritual of his own devising -- to furnish a shrine to himself.
A KILLER, BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING
________________________________________
The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer offers a chilling insight into the mind of a serial killer and reveals the horrors within.
This had me gripped! After watching Des which is a tv adaptation of the UK serial killer Denis Nielsen who killed in similar ways to Dahmer this author came to my attention. This delved deeper into Dahmers life and childhood it’s so easy to place blame when in fact this was a very sick individual! We could argue he was a victim of the very poor mental health system. The book is very well written every well researched it in no way glorifies the hideous crimes committed by Dahmer but it does bring to your attention the thin line the mental health sits on. This poor men and their families I did find a few parts very hard to stomach and read and it keeps you questioning all the way through I think my husband got annoyed at me constantly trying to discuss or read certain bits out to him just so I could process them myself!
It’s a fascinating subject in the sense do we decide between nurture vs nature, control and no control is there that part of the brain missing in men like Dahmer that says no stop missing? Also it brings to light very slack policing also shines a bad light on those professionals that didn’t pick up those warning signs could some of these men’s life been saved? .
I guess it’s something we will never know!
Book
The Shrine of Jeffery Dahmer
By Brian Masters
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
AN UNSPEAKABLE CRIME
When he was arrested in July 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer had a severed head in the refrigerator, two more in the freezer, two skulls and a skeleton in a filing cabinet.
A DEPRIVED ACT
But if anything could be more disturbing than the brute horror of this scene, it was the evidence that Dahmer had been using these human remains not only for sexual gratification, but as part of a dark ritual of his own devising -- to furnish a shrine to himself.
A KILLER, BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING
________________________________________
The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer offers a chilling insight into the mind of a serial killer and reveals the horrors within.
This had me gripped! After watching Des which is a tv adaptation of the UK serial killer Denis Nielsen who killed in similar ways to Dahmer this author came to my attention. This delved deeper into Dahmers life and childhood it’s so easy to place blame when in fact this was a very sick individual! We could argue he was a victim of the very poor mental health system. The book is very well written every well researched it in no way glorifies the hideous crimes committed by Dahmer but it does bring to your attention the thin line the mental health sits on. This poor men and their families I did find a few parts very hard to stomach and read and it keeps you questioning all the way through I think my husband got annoyed at me constantly trying to discuss or read certain bits out to him just so I could process them myself!
It’s a fascinating subject in the sense do we decide between nurture vs nature, control and no control is there that part of the brain missing in men like Dahmer that says no stop missing? Also it brings to light very slack policing also shines a bad light on those professionals that didn’t pick up those warning signs could some of these men’s life been saved? .
I guess it’s something we will never know!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated My First Stone Age: The Card Game in Tabletop Games
Apr 7, 2021
The Kids Table series from Purple Phoenix Games seeks to lightly explore games that are focused toward children and families. We will do our best to give some good insight, but not bog you down with a million rules…
My First Stone Age: The Card Game (that’s a mouthful) is a quick and easy card game that can be played by any child of any age assuming they have the attention span for it (mine didn’t the first couple times). It focuses on memory skills and set collection mechanics.
Setting up is easy. Shuffle the Hut Cards and give each player one. Shuffle the Goods Cards and deal nine face-down in a circle. Place the rest of the deck in the middle of the circle face-up. Plop Martin, the mammeeple (mammoth meeple) on or near one of the face-down cards and you’re ready to play!
The winner of the game is they who is able to build three huts first. Players can build huts by moving Martin around the circle clock-wise 1-4 spaces, collecting the card if it matches the players’ hut card, and then building the hut by discarding the goods used. Each turn players will be able to move Martin, flip a card to see if it matched their hut card, and build a hut. The game continues in this fashion until the winner has built their third hut!
This is a very light game that has very simple rules, and not a ton for the players to have to keep track of or remember. Perfect for young ones and not-so-young ones alike. We love the artwork on the cards and being able to move a large mammeeple around the table searching for fish or arrowheads. While the game is competitive in that there is a winner and therefore also losers, we mitigate that by saying that, “if I win then you get to tickle me, but if you win I get to tickle you!” That usually quells any upset youngsters pretty quickly.
We love this game and it is a great first step into gateway games that target older audiences. It is simple and quick, and a minimal investment for a good few minutes!
My First Stone Age: The Card Game (that’s a mouthful) is a quick and easy card game that can be played by any child of any age assuming they have the attention span for it (mine didn’t the first couple times). It focuses on memory skills and set collection mechanics.
Setting up is easy. Shuffle the Hut Cards and give each player one. Shuffle the Goods Cards and deal nine face-down in a circle. Place the rest of the deck in the middle of the circle face-up. Plop Martin, the mammeeple (mammoth meeple) on or near one of the face-down cards and you’re ready to play!
The winner of the game is they who is able to build three huts first. Players can build huts by moving Martin around the circle clock-wise 1-4 spaces, collecting the card if it matches the players’ hut card, and then building the hut by discarding the goods used. Each turn players will be able to move Martin, flip a card to see if it matched their hut card, and build a hut. The game continues in this fashion until the winner has built their third hut!
This is a very light game that has very simple rules, and not a ton for the players to have to keep track of or remember. Perfect for young ones and not-so-young ones alike. We love the artwork on the cards and being able to move a large mammeeple around the table searching for fish or arrowheads. While the game is competitive in that there is a winner and therefore also losers, we mitigate that by saying that, “if I win then you get to tickle me, but if you win I get to tickle you!” That usually quells any upset youngsters pretty quickly.
We love this game and it is a great first step into gateway games that target older audiences. It is simple and quick, and a minimal investment for a good few minutes!
ClareR (5854 KP) rated A Thousand Ships in Books
Sep 13, 2020
How could it be anything other than ‘Epic’ when it’s Greek Mythology involved?
A Thousand Ships is the story of the Trojan War as experienced by the women. Greek mythology is always centred around the men - after all, it was men who original myths down (The Iliad and The Odyssey both having been written by Homer). Women are side characters who have things done to them, rather than them being the ones doing things - unless they’re a goddess or a witch. Although witches and nymphs don’t seem to come out of these stories particularly well either 🤷🏼♀️
I’ve always loved reading Greek myths and legends, and I’m really enjoying the resurgence of these tales. Told with a modern eye, they can tell us something about ourselves today. We still experience war and loss (there has clearly been no learning experience over the time span between Troy and the modern era), and women are still the ones who shoulder the worst outcomes during and after a war.
It was fascinating to learn about these women, and I particularly liked Penelope’s letters to her husband Odysseus, relaying information about his unbelievable voyage and rather circuitous route home: all information gleaned from bards and their songs. A sensible person would want to know how the singer got the information to write the songs!
The Trojan women sections were really where the true heroes were. These were the women who had lived through a ten year siege, lost their husbands, brothers, sons and families, and were shared as slaves amongst the conquering Greeks. And that includes the poorest as well as the richest of women - Hecabe, Queen of Troy, amongst them.
This book was on the shortlist for the Women’s Prize 2020, and it deserved to be there. I loved reading this, and I now need to read the book written before this (The Children of Jocasta - it has sat patiently waiting on my bookshelf!) to get ready for Haynes’ book about Pandora and her jar!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
I’ve always loved reading Greek myths and legends, and I’m really enjoying the resurgence of these tales. Told with a modern eye, they can tell us something about ourselves today. We still experience war and loss (there has clearly been no learning experience over the time span between Troy and the modern era), and women are still the ones who shoulder the worst outcomes during and after a war.
It was fascinating to learn about these women, and I particularly liked Penelope’s letters to her husband Odysseus, relaying information about his unbelievable voyage and rather circuitous route home: all information gleaned from bards and their songs. A sensible person would want to know how the singer got the information to write the songs!
The Trojan women sections were really where the true heroes were. These were the women who had lived through a ten year siege, lost their husbands, brothers, sons and families, and were shared as slaves amongst the conquering Greeks. And that includes the poorest as well as the richest of women - Hecabe, Queen of Troy, amongst them.
This book was on the shortlist for the Women’s Prize 2020, and it deserved to be there. I loved reading this, and I now need to read the book written before this (The Children of Jocasta - it has sat patiently waiting on my bookshelf!) to get ready for Haynes’ book about Pandora and her jar!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Curse of Crow Hollow in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Read the original review on my blog: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/book-review-the-curse-of-crow-hollow/
The Curse of Crow Hollow is a story of a town fighting for survival, trying so desperately to maintain their perfect society while tearing it apart themselves. It's written to sound as though you are being spoken to (and I can't help but wonder how anyone would have the time to tell a story this long) and in a rather unique way, as well. The writing style made me think of old-fashioned towns or something, at least until phones and flat-screen TVs are mentioned.
Crow Hollow is home to a witch. Yep, a witch. After her husband was found dead at the roadside, Alvaretta Graves shut herself away in a tiny little cabin in the woods. No one dared to go up there; the whole town knew to stay away from Alvaretta.
But the reader is told of a story that begins with a group of teenagers - Cordelia, Scarlett, Naomi and Hays - who go where nobody has gone for a long, long time. And when an incident involving Cordelia's mother's bracelet, the kids are led right to clearing where Alvaretta settled all those years ago.
After meeting the witch, those kids' lives will never be the same. Nor will any of the lives of their friends, families and neighbours. The witches curse spreads through the town, leaving everyone in panic.
Will they be able to fix their mistakes? Rid the town of evil and return to their normal lives? The chances are slim at best. Despite this, they are determined to try their hardest. The plot was definitely exciting, and there were more than a few elements of surprise in this book. Nothing better than a good old plot twist. But I did find it a little hard to follow, as I got caught up in the details and numerous characters a fair few times. (Who's Landis again? Which one is the doctor?) But like I said, I loved the whole idea of the book and the writing style, despite it being rather different for me. So I'm going to give The Curse of Crow Hollow 3.5 stars out of 5.
The Curse of Crow Hollow is a story of a town fighting for survival, trying so desperately to maintain their perfect society while tearing it apart themselves. It's written to sound as though you are being spoken to (and I can't help but wonder how anyone would have the time to tell a story this long) and in a rather unique way, as well. The writing style made me think of old-fashioned towns or something, at least until phones and flat-screen TVs are mentioned.
Crow Hollow is home to a witch. Yep, a witch. After her husband was found dead at the roadside, Alvaretta Graves shut herself away in a tiny little cabin in the woods. No one dared to go up there; the whole town knew to stay away from Alvaretta.
But the reader is told of a story that begins with a group of teenagers - Cordelia, Scarlett, Naomi and Hays - who go where nobody has gone for a long, long time. And when an incident involving Cordelia's mother's bracelet, the kids are led right to clearing where Alvaretta settled all those years ago.
After meeting the witch, those kids' lives will never be the same. Nor will any of the lives of their friends, families and neighbours. The witches curse spreads through the town, leaving everyone in panic.
Will they be able to fix their mistakes? Rid the town of evil and return to their normal lives? The chances are slim at best. Despite this, they are determined to try their hardest. The plot was definitely exciting, and there were more than a few elements of surprise in this book. Nothing better than a good old plot twist. But I did find it a little hard to follow, as I got caught up in the details and numerous characters a fair few times. (Who's Landis again? Which one is the doctor?) But like I said, I loved the whole idea of the book and the writing style, despite it being rather different for me. So I'm going to give The Curse of Crow Hollow 3.5 stars out of 5.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated This is Home in Books
Sep 26, 2019
Libby lives with her father, Bentley (Bent to nearly everyone) and their oversized, lazy dog Rooster Cogburn. And then there's also her Aunts Lucy and Desiree, who live in the apartment above them. And now there's Quinn. Quinn's husband John and Bent served together in Iraq. Bent invites Quinn to live in the basement apartment after John goes missing, suffering from PTSD. Libby feels the place is crowded enough already. And Quinn's not too thrilled to be there either. But, before either of them realize it, they are thrust together and slowly become friends.
This is one of those quiet, unassuming books that sneaks up on you, pulling you in with its beautiful writing and wonderful characters. There's no wild plot, insane mystery, or major twist--just elegant prose, a troubled cast, and some real and raw moments that will stick with you long after you finish the last page. Lisa Duffy is an excellent writer, and I so enjoyed her book.
"He'd come home from from the war a different person. A stranger to her. Someone she moved around carefully, gently, as if he were a bomb, ready to explode."
There is a lot going on here--the aftermath of war; family issues; a budding teen romance; marriage problems--but it all works. Libby and Quinn each tell their own story, and as their lives begin to intertwine, it's very heartwarming to watch each come into their own a bit. They each have their own unique voice, and it's hard not to fall for both of them. Libby, especially, tugged at my heart. (But I loved Quinn, too!)
There is, of course, darkness here. This novel offers a very thoughtful exploration of the aftermath of war, not only on the soldiers, but those who love them. It's not always an easy read, but I think it's a valuable one. It gives a very unwavering look at the PTSD these men and women face and how it can not only can ruin them, but their families as well.
Overall, I found this to be an excellent and poignant read, and I'm sorry I let it sit on my Kindle so long. Easily 4+ stars.
This is one of those quiet, unassuming books that sneaks up on you, pulling you in with its beautiful writing and wonderful characters. There's no wild plot, insane mystery, or major twist--just elegant prose, a troubled cast, and some real and raw moments that will stick with you long after you finish the last page. Lisa Duffy is an excellent writer, and I so enjoyed her book.
"He'd come home from from the war a different person. A stranger to her. Someone she moved around carefully, gently, as if he were a bomb, ready to explode."
There is a lot going on here--the aftermath of war; family issues; a budding teen romance; marriage problems--but it all works. Libby and Quinn each tell their own story, and as their lives begin to intertwine, it's very heartwarming to watch each come into their own a bit. They each have their own unique voice, and it's hard not to fall for both of them. Libby, especially, tugged at my heart. (But I loved Quinn, too!)
There is, of course, darkness here. This novel offers a very thoughtful exploration of the aftermath of war, not only on the soldiers, but those who love them. It's not always an easy read, but I think it's a valuable one. It gives a very unwavering look at the PTSD these men and women face and how it can not only can ruin them, but their families as well.
Overall, I found this to be an excellent and poignant read, and I'm sorry I let it sit on my Kindle so long. Easily 4+ stars.