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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
<b><i>The Curse of the Pharaohs</i></b> is a fast, fun, and humorous second outing with Amelia and her husband Emerson. The first half isn't quite as good as the second, but it quickly picks up and is enjoyable until the end. Amelia's outlook is a joy to read and I love how Elizabeth Peters writes her, which to me, seems like it would be very hard to do in a first person narrative (particularly with a character like Amelia Peabody Emerson!). There are some truly hilarious lines and passages, especially between Amelia and Emerson.
One line I just have to keep for posterity: <i>"It is impossible for any rational mind to follow the peculiar mental convolutions that pass for logic among the male sex."</i>
That is the genius of Ms. Peters writing and I look forward to the rest of the series.
One line I just have to keep for posterity: <i>"It is impossible for any rational mind to follow the peculiar mental convolutions that pass for logic among the male sex."</i>
That is the genius of Ms. Peters writing and I look forward to the rest of the series.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Mummy Case (Amelia Peabody, #3) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Yet another fun mystery featuring Amelia Peabody. While I have to admit the mystery didn't interest me much, the repartee between the indomitable Amelia and Emerson, and Ms. Peabody's (or Mrs. Emerson's) narration, more than made up for it. Ramses can be amusing also, but he can be a bit too much sometimes, probably because he is too precocious and smart to be believed. How many languages does this five-year-old know? Although I do think this specific example is the whole point of these books and how they should be seen: as a farcical look on adventure books in the Victorian era, but that's just a guess. Also, the book was a bit too long and would have been a better book had thirty or so pages been taken out. However, Amelia and her exploits are still a fast and fun way to pass the time.
Stampy ;) (90 KP) rated Pandemic in Tabletop Games
Apr 30, 2019
No player competition (4 more)
Teamwork element
Fairly easy to play along and learn
Saving the World
Could be played solo
Great co-op team building game
I decided to purchase Pandemic due to its co-op gameplay. With so many games having you compete against each other I thought it would be really nice to get some friends together to work as a team. It didn't disappoint! I like it that each player is assigned a role and you get to make the decisions for that player. The game is fairly fast paced with an increase in tension the further through the game you get. You don't always succeed based on the decisions you make and that's okay, it's just leaves you hungry for another game. Good luck! The world rests in your hands.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Moxie: A Novel in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Jennifer Mathieu has written a strong book featuring a quiet girl, Vivian and her aversion to bullies. One day Viv, cannot put up with it anymore and takes it upon herself to make a stand, starting with a ‘zine she creates herself and distributes anonymously. It’s a small step with a big effect, because it doesn’t take long for things to snowball and soon Moxie becomes an empowering voice to be heard! And I’m not just saying fictional characters here. Every young girl should read this awesome, inspiring and captivating read!
Good for all of you who love the whole ‘girl power’ attitude, and like books which inspire and encourage you in real life to be the person you should be and stand up for yourself. For fledgling feminists everywhere! A fast-paced, bad-ass read full of action and great characterisation. Join the Moxie Movement! Have your say!
Good for all of you who love the whole ‘girl power’ attitude, and like books which inspire and encourage you in real life to be the person you should be and stand up for yourself. For fledgling feminists everywhere! A fast-paced, bad-ass read full of action and great characterisation. Join the Moxie Movement! Have your say!
Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Skyscraper (2018) in Movies
Jun 15, 2019
Spider-rock spider-rock!!
This film is completely ridiculous but I really enjoyed watching it and laughing at the ridiculousness of it. The rock is a former FBI/army person who gets injured and is looked after by doctor Neve Campbell. Fast forward they're now married with 2 kids. He now has a prosthetic leg and does some sort of security. He's tasked with checking out the security of a bloody massive 'supertall' building. Queue armed assailants, a big fire and rocks family in danger. Then theres the rock climbing a 200ft crain and jumping through a window, abseiling 220 floors up using duct tape and curtain chords and best of all using sticky side of duct tape to wall crawl on the outside of the building. It's ridiculous, it's stupid but I did enjoy it. Turn off your brains and enjoy some nonsense!!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2466 KP) rated Murder Packs a Suitcase (Murder Packs a Suitcase, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mallory Marlowe is attempting to get her life back together after her husband's accidental death. Her new job is as a travel writer, and her first stop is Orlando, where she is part of a press tour. Their first night there, the obnoxious member of the group is found floating in a fountain. Even though she just met him, Mallory is the prime suspect. Can she figure out who really did it? I found Mallory a charming travel companion. Occasionally the bits about the tour were a little long, but the mystery moved along as a consistently fast pace even if it did rely on coincidence a little more then I would have liked. This was my first book by Cynthia Baxter, but I will be reading more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-murder-packs-suitcase-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-murder-packs-suitcase-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2466 KP) rated The Wrong Girl (Jane Ryland, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
This is the second book about reporter Jane Ryland and Boston detective Jake Brogan. This time around, Jane is helping a former co-worker find out if she was sent to the wrong woman while trying to track down her birth mother. Meanwhile, she is also covering a murder that Jake is investigating. A woman is found murdered. Two kids under 3, both alive, are in the next room. It looks like a simple domestic dispute except the woman has no ID anywhere in the apartment.
I loved the book. It started fast and never let me go until I reached the end. The characters were great as well, and I had a blast spending time with all of them.
I got the book via Amazon Vine.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-wrong-girl-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I loved the book. It started fast and never let me go until I reached the end. The characters were great as well, and I had a blast spending time with all of them.
I got the book via Amazon Vine.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-wrong-girl-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2466 KP) rated Death by Tiara (A Jaine Austen Mystery #13) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Jaine takes on the job of writing the song lyrics for a beauty pageant contestant and finds herself in the high passion world of local beauty contests. Things are so heated that it’s hardly a surprise when a dead body turns up. But with her client at the top of the suspect list, Jaine will have to act fast to find the killer.
As always this book is a pure delight. The many sub-plots keep things moving right along, and the mystery is wrapped up in a logical fashion. The characters are a little out there, but that is definitely part of the fun of the series. They contribute to the laughs, which are plentiful. This is definitely light reading but lots of fun.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-death-by-tiara-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
As always this book is a pure delight. The many sub-plots keep things moving right along, and the mystery is wrapped up in a logical fashion. The characters are a little out there, but that is definitely part of the fun of the series. They contribute to the laughs, which are plentiful. This is definitely light reading but lots of fun.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-death-by-tiara-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2466 KP) rated Snow White Red-Handed (Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Prue and Ophelia take on jobs as maids to the Coops, Americans who are traveling to their castle in Germany’s black forest. Almost as soon as they’ve arrived, a cottage is discovered on the property that looks like a dwarf cottage, and fairytale experts are brought in. The next day, Mr. Coop is poisoned with an apple. What have Prue and Ophelia gotten themselves into?
I love fairytales and fairytale reimaginings, so I had to give this cozy mystery series a try. It was so much fun. The story was fast paced, and the fairytale aspect provided a nice twist to the cozy formula. The characters were sharp as well, and the author made perfect use of a multiple viewpoint story. Can’t wait for the sequel.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-snow-white-red-handed-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I love fairytales and fairytale reimaginings, so I had to give this cozy mystery series a try. It was so much fun. The story was fast paced, and the fairytale aspect provided a nice twist to the cozy formula. The characters were sharp as well, and the author made perfect use of a multiple viewpoint story. Can’t wait for the sequel.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-snow-white-red-handed-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2466 KP) rated Beyond A Doubt (The Carol Childs Mysteries, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Reporter Carol Childs is on the scene when the police pull up the body of a young woman from a Los Angeles canyon. The victim is Monica Channing, who went missing two weeks ago. While the rest of the media begin to focus on the murder, Carol sees a pattern with other missing young women. What might she have stumbled on?
This book is a fast paced read from the very beginning. It’s definitely not the light reads I often go for, but the story never gets as dark as it could either. Watching Carol try to prove what she thinks is going on is fun, and the climax was very satisfying. Carol leads a strong cast of characters, and I’m looking forward to her next adventure.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-beyond-doubt-by-nancy-cole.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book is a fast paced read from the very beginning. It’s definitely not the light reads I often go for, but the story never gets as dark as it could either. Watching Carol try to prove what she thinks is going on is fun, and the climax was very satisfying. Carol leads a strong cast of characters, and I’m looking forward to her next adventure.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-beyond-doubt-by-nancy-cole.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.