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Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War
8.5
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Book
From the acclaimed military historian, a new history of the outbreak of World War I: the dramatic...
New Star Soccer
Games and Sports
App
Welcome to New Star Soccer, “The best football game on mobile and tablets.” (Eurogamer). The...
Puzzli - Incredible Puzzle Fun
Games and Entertainment
App
Over 3300 incredibly entertaining puzzles. Discover fascinating facts about the world while playing....
Shelter from Our Secrets, Silence, and Shame: How Our Stories Can Keep Us Stuck or Set Us Free
Book
As a mental health clinician, Rebecca Brown has been a safe place for many to seek shelter from...
Self Help Personal Growth Self Esteem
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated American Hippo (River of Teeth, #1-2) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I actually read these volumes as separate books, so I have two separate reviews here.
River of Teeth (Part 1):
I somehow missed that this was a novella, every time I looked at it online. It wasn't until I checked it out from the library and was shocked at how small it was that I made that discovery. It was a welcome one, since I checked out seven other books that day, and finding something short was a relief!
And I AM SO GLAD I finally read this, because it's AMAZING. It opens on Winslow seducing a federal agent, and quickly moves to him gathering up a crew to drive feral hippos out of a marsh in Louisiana. I was expected a fun hippo-cowboy romp, and I got that - what I wasn't expected was strong, deadly women, a bisexual male hero, a nonbinary love interest, and hippo steeds. I don't know why hippo steeds didn't occur to me - it's not like they could wrangle hippos from atop horses! There is so much goodness packed into this little volume.
River of Teeth: short and sweet, action-packed with amazing characters and a fascinating, bizarre, but historical premise.
Taste of Marrow (Part 2):
Another quick novella, Taste of Marrow is the sequel to the bizarre alternate history novella River of Teeth. It picks up a few months after the ending of the first - people have had a chance to heal their injuries from the explosive ending of the first book, and hippos have begun to spread to previously safe waterways. The cast of this book consists of the surviving characters from the first, plus only one more semi-important character.
It's not quite as good as the first - no explosions and it's less of a rollercoaster - but there is some character development, and a deeper exploration of a few characters than we saw in the first book. I wish my library had the omnibus edition, because it includes two short stories set in the same world, and I'm very curious which aspects of the world she explored in those.
But this is a fun pair of books, very quick, easy reads, and it's just fun to say you're reading a book about hippos and cowboys!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
River of Teeth (Part 1):
I somehow missed that this was a novella, every time I looked at it online. It wasn't until I checked it out from the library and was shocked at how small it was that I made that discovery. It was a welcome one, since I checked out seven other books that day, and finding something short was a relief!
And I AM SO GLAD I finally read this, because it's AMAZING. It opens on Winslow seducing a federal agent, and quickly moves to him gathering up a crew to drive feral hippos out of a marsh in Louisiana. I was expected a fun hippo-cowboy romp, and I got that - what I wasn't expected was strong, deadly women, a bisexual male hero, a nonbinary love interest, and hippo steeds. I don't know why hippo steeds didn't occur to me - it's not like they could wrangle hippos from atop horses! There is so much goodness packed into this little volume.
River of Teeth: short and sweet, action-packed with amazing characters and a fascinating, bizarre, but historical premise.
Taste of Marrow (Part 2):
Another quick novella, Taste of Marrow is the sequel to the bizarre alternate history novella River of Teeth. It picks up a few months after the ending of the first - people have had a chance to heal their injuries from the explosive ending of the first book, and hippos have begun to spread to previously safe waterways. The cast of this book consists of the surviving characters from the first, plus only one more semi-important character.
It's not quite as good as the first - no explosions and it's less of a rollercoaster - but there is some character development, and a deeper exploration of a few characters than we saw in the first book. I wish my library had the omnibus edition, because it includes two short stories set in the same world, and I'm very curious which aspects of the world she explored in those.
But this is a fun pair of books, very quick, easy reads, and it's just fun to say you're reading a book about hippos and cowboys!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) rated Coloma in Tabletop Games
Nov 11, 2019
Tight economy (3 more)
You build your engine for resources
everything is a good choice, there are no terrible choices.
good amount of planning is needed without being too deep.
Very well made Western Euro style game
I have played two games of it and so far I really like it. This is a euro game based in the gold rush american west about managing your resources and building an town (engine), and you select the actions you want to take and get a bonus if you don't do the same as other players. it's simultaneous, so you have to guess what other players are doing. I got my Kickstarter copy about a week or two ago, and finally got to break it out this weekend. we played it Saturday and then Sunday morning my wife requested we play it a 2nd time... always a very good indicator of a great game. We generally like more medium to heavy weight games, so the fact that she requested a game that is this light was another vote in its favor. It's not light like Catan, or Kingdomino, or splendor, but it's Lighter than say a Tzolkin, Newton, Castles of Burgundy, or Terraforming Mars. I would say this game is above gateway, but not too deep past that. We plan to introduce this to our newer game friends and see what happens, the turns are quite quick early as you don't do much and then get longer as you get to do more, and I'm anxious to see how that plays with larger play counts. One of the major pluses in the game is how you control how you want to play the game and what you want to do. You could go after horses, and then ride the territory and focus on the post office and stables, and then also go after gold and dudes and then chase the rivers and bridges.... or maybe you just buildup your town to the max and get more of everything on every turn... there seems to be lots of plausible routes to winning and it's just about how efficient you are with your strategy. Looking forward to having this in my collection for a long time.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated War Horse (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
“War Horse” is one of Steven Spielberg’s newest silver screen stories. His flair and panache are present, as ever. This gorgeous film pulls on the heart strings, and plays on several different emotional chords.
The story starts as you might guess: a young British lad, Albert Narracot, who is present at the birth of our four-legged hero, Joey the horse, becomes immediately entranced by the grace and majesty of said equine. As any equestrian will tell you, a bond between person and horse is about as magical and mysterious as this film alludes to.
As Joey the horse comes of age, Albert’s father, a drunk, down-and-out soldier-turned-farmer, also sees the beauty of this animal, and bids exceedingly high at auction to win Joey, but does so against his own landlord.
Albert’s father comes home with the horse, intent upon using this thoroughbred as a workhorse, tilling fields instead of running free. Unfortunately for Albert, demands on the farm soon force the horse to be sold, in order to save the family’s home. The British military purchases Joey, and off starts the wild adventure of one horse through the landscape of World War II.
Though many of the scenarios Joey faces are fantastical, this film mixes moments of great sadness, brutal war scenes and amazing joy, sprinkled throughout with laugh-out-loud humor. The unexpected humor accentuates the film, though it occasionally feels awkward, since the subject matter doesn’t lend itself to laughter and merriment. Perhaps this is what makes it so unique; it’s a delightful departure from sad stories that only have a single uplifting moment at the end.
A word of caution to all horse lovers: Joey the horse experiences what the director wants us to perceive as great physical pain, in various parts of the film. I can imagine for some equestrians this will be a bit much to handle.
The only major flaw I found in this film is that they made the horse appear overly intelligent. While I know horses to be very intelligent creatures, there was one scene in particular where Joey took the place of his buddy (another horse) in such dramatic fashion that it seems far too human-like to be plausible.
All in all, the film is a win. The cinematography alone is captivatingly beautiful. The acting, writing and music make up for whatever the film lacks in realism regarding the horse’s fantastical journey.
The story starts as you might guess: a young British lad, Albert Narracot, who is present at the birth of our four-legged hero, Joey the horse, becomes immediately entranced by the grace and majesty of said equine. As any equestrian will tell you, a bond between person and horse is about as magical and mysterious as this film alludes to.
As Joey the horse comes of age, Albert’s father, a drunk, down-and-out soldier-turned-farmer, also sees the beauty of this animal, and bids exceedingly high at auction to win Joey, but does so against his own landlord.
Albert’s father comes home with the horse, intent upon using this thoroughbred as a workhorse, tilling fields instead of running free. Unfortunately for Albert, demands on the farm soon force the horse to be sold, in order to save the family’s home. The British military purchases Joey, and off starts the wild adventure of one horse through the landscape of World War II.
Though many of the scenarios Joey faces are fantastical, this film mixes moments of great sadness, brutal war scenes and amazing joy, sprinkled throughout with laugh-out-loud humor. The unexpected humor accentuates the film, though it occasionally feels awkward, since the subject matter doesn’t lend itself to laughter and merriment. Perhaps this is what makes it so unique; it’s a delightful departure from sad stories that only have a single uplifting moment at the end.
A word of caution to all horse lovers: Joey the horse experiences what the director wants us to perceive as great physical pain, in various parts of the film. I can imagine for some equestrians this will be a bit much to handle.
The only major flaw I found in this film is that they made the horse appear overly intelligent. While I know horses to be very intelligent creatures, there was one scene in particular where Joey took the place of his buddy (another horse) in such dramatic fashion that it seems far too human-like to be plausible.
All in all, the film is a win. The cinematography alone is captivatingly beautiful. The acting, writing and music make up for whatever the film lacks in realism regarding the horse’s fantastical journey.
Nightmares from the Deep™: Davy Jones, Collector's Edition HD (Full)
Games and Entertainment
App
Reveal Davy Jones’ darkest secrets and defeat the nefarious sea devil once and for all! Museum...
Tales & Games: The Hare & the Tortoise
6.5
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Tabletop Game
The Hare & the Tortoise, originally published as Royal Turtle, is a card-driven betting game about...
I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review and although it has taken me a while to read it, I have really enjoyed the content and style of the information provided.
This book gives a very in-depth and detailed re-telling of the Battle of Gettysburg, and more specifically the charge of Barksdale himself. A battle and time that will live forever in history, Phillip Thomas Tucker weaves the death and grim reality of war with insightful quotes, maps and ideas about how this battle really occurred.
There are several outstanding aspects of this book, however first I feel it is necessary to warn any potential readers that this book is not that easy to read. I am a frequent reader of non-fiction books, and more specifically historical non-fiction, and this is amongst one of the hardest I have read, but the effort is well worth it. At times, it is just a little over loaded with details such as names, positions in the armies etc, and with the same names appearing in both sides of the battle as well as within the same units, it can get a little hard to keep track of everyone!
On a much more positive note though, the detailed research the author must have done truly does shine through on every page. The quotes from letters, the pictures and the maps, to name but a few things, really do add a whole new dimension to the book. Personally, it made it all seem a lot more real, helping me to engage more with the trials of those poor men (and horses) stuck in the mud and terror of that day. Although knowing all the names did get slightly confusing at times, it was a great touch in helping 'bring home' the reality and enormity of the loss at that battle.
In addition, the pace with which the events were told was pitched just right. Although packed with detail, the book still had a great pace and a pull to it. The action of the battle really does pour through the pages and come alive. It's written with great skill and is one of the best 'battle recounts' that I have read in a long time.
In conclusion, I can only praise this book for summarising one of the pivotal battles of the American Civil War. Detailed, at times a little too much so, and a compelling, engaging and at times emotional read that I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in this period of history, or who is studying this.
This book gives a very in-depth and detailed re-telling of the Battle of Gettysburg, and more specifically the charge of Barksdale himself. A battle and time that will live forever in history, Phillip Thomas Tucker weaves the death and grim reality of war with insightful quotes, maps and ideas about how this battle really occurred.
There are several outstanding aspects of this book, however first I feel it is necessary to warn any potential readers that this book is not that easy to read. I am a frequent reader of non-fiction books, and more specifically historical non-fiction, and this is amongst one of the hardest I have read, but the effort is well worth it. At times, it is just a little over loaded with details such as names, positions in the armies etc, and with the same names appearing in both sides of the battle as well as within the same units, it can get a little hard to keep track of everyone!
On a much more positive note though, the detailed research the author must have done truly does shine through on every page. The quotes from letters, the pictures and the maps, to name but a few things, really do add a whole new dimension to the book. Personally, it made it all seem a lot more real, helping me to engage more with the trials of those poor men (and horses) stuck in the mud and terror of that day. Although knowing all the names did get slightly confusing at times, it was a great touch in helping 'bring home' the reality and enormity of the loss at that battle.
In addition, the pace with which the events were told was pitched just right. Although packed with detail, the book still had a great pace and a pull to it. The action of the battle really does pour through the pages and come alive. It's written with great skill and is one of the best 'battle recounts' that I have read in a long time.
In conclusion, I can only praise this book for summarising one of the pivotal battles of the American Civil War. Detailed, at times a little too much so, and a compelling, engaging and at times emotional read that I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in this period of history, or who is studying this.