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The Break
The Break
Marian Keyes | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
MoMo’s Book Diary highly recommends this author’s latest release “The Break”

Marian Keyes has given us many brilliant novels – some of which I have ‘laughed out loud’ embarrassing my mother while on holiday in strange places. I have many happy memories reading Marian Keyes while on holiday.

I haven’t read anything by this author in some time and was excited to be given the chance to read and review for NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph. It is a well paced book that is difficult to put down but I found that unlike some other books I have read recently I was able to put it down and take a break for normal life stuff… maybe it is due to this being a longer book that most that I read these days? Or maybe I have been reading too many crime based books that this just didn’t hold my attention as much as Marian Keyes did in the past. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed it and do recommend it as a novel.

It is a long read – enjoyable – and funny.

If you have read Marian Keyes in the past then you really don’t want to miss this one!

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic novel.
  
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Joseph Mount recommended 4-Track Demos by PJ Harvey in Music (curated)

 
4-Track Demos by PJ Harvey
4-Track Demos by PJ Harvey
1993 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I remember hearing a PJ Harvey song, it might have been ‘Down by The Water’, and thinking ‘this is wicked, I’m gonna buy some of her music!’ At that age I had pocket money, about five pounds, so I went to this music shop in Exeter, found the PJ Harvey section, and all they had was this cheap cassette of 4-Track Demos. I was learning the drums around that time, and listening to the drums in a way I’d never done before, getting obsessive about it. I bought this PJ Harvey record, I put it on and thought ‘OK, the drums are gonna come in soon!’, but of course they never come in, it’s all demos. It was insanely disappointing! But I’d payed the money for this record, so I listened to it, and it became this educational thing for me of understanding that this was part of writing a song. Comparing the demos to the finished tracks, it was an interesting thing to hear and I think the most important thing I’d take from it is investing in something that deprives you of the one thing you were really excited about. It’s a good lesson, but completely unplanned, an interesting exercise to realise that the thing I feel is the most important thing, is not."

Source
  
Dominic and the Dolphin (Land and Sea: A Shifter Series, #3)
Dominic and the Dolphin (Land and Sea: A Shifter Series, #3)
Vinni George | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
DOMINIC AND THE DOLPHIN is the third book in the Land and Sea: A Shifter Series but the first one I have read. In no way did this affect my enjoyment of the story, apart from now wanting to go back and read the first two as well.

I love Shifter books and if they have Mpreg in there, all the better. But what I got with this was unexpected! And I loved that. You see, usually in Shifter books, if there is a fated mate, it's BOOM, all hands on deck. But not with this one. Oh no! Instead, the author had me laughing out loud as these two have no idea they're fated PLUS they enjoy snarking at each other.

Add to that a hint of danger for both of them (in different ways), friends you can count on, new found family, plus the most amazing pregnancy/nesting/birth scenes I have read.

I loved every word of this story and am so glad I took the chance on it, even knowing it was the third in a series. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 3, 2023
  
Dead and Buried
Dead and Buried
John Brennan | 2015 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pretty Good Thriller
I am ashamed to say that this book has been in my "to be read" pile since it was published in 2015; my New Year's Resolution for 2020 is to read at least 1 book per month from my pile in order to get through the backlog - this is the first of the year so doing pretty well so far!

Anyway, this is a pretty good read and although the subject matter is harrowing at times, I enjoyed it and found it an engaging and riveting read.

The book alternates between the past and the present and follows the story of Conor amongst the backdrop of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland during the 1990's and the present day; I admit you do have to have your wits about you when reading in order not to get confused as to which time you are in however, I found it quite easy to stay on track and only had to check back a couple of times to double check.

The story is told from Conor's perspective throughout and his character is well developed and believable as are all the main characters in this book. What I particularly liked and which felt authentic, was how the internal battle Conor fought with himself around trying to do the right thing whilst being forced to do wrong in order to protect himself and his family.

This is a dark and gritty story with plenty of action and scenes of peril; the writing is at a good pace and easy to read with the difficulties Conor faces being a Catholic married to a Protestant being dealt with sensitively and, in my opinion, without bias towards either side.

Overall, a pretty good thriller set in a time and place that few books I have read previously have touched upon and I would certainly read further books from this author.

Thank you to Carina UK/HQ Digital and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
  
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Kate (493 KP) rated Redemption Lake in Books

Oct 19, 2020  
Redemption Lake
Redemption Lake
Susan Clayton-Goldner | 2017 | Crime, Mystery, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a good book. It was all about the choices people make and the choices they make also depend on the situation they are involved in. I did get frustrated with some the choices the Matt made throughout the book. But this could be due to my age. I had to remember he had just turned 18 and was in a very stressful situation. Also he though his choices were helping the people around him. I was going back and forth with who I thought did it which is a good thing.
It was also a book about growing up and how life changes as you grow. I was hooked from Chapter 1 but then I found I wasn't as gripped as I initially was.
I got a feeling for each character and how they were feeling from the author's writing. The author did well in describing the places, people and scenes. The book flowed well.
The blurb described the book very well.
I would recommend the book to people but people of a younger age.
If the author had another book out I'm not sure I would read it as I may not be the target audience but I would always read the blurb and then make a decision. I wouldn't actively look for this author.
  
Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff
Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff
2014 | Casual, Movies & TV
Gives you a taste of what you can play in the full version. (0 more)
PC/windows version is incomplete and ends at area 8 plus it has none of the events (0 more)
It's better on an android tablet
So, I played this on facebook and hated it because it slowed everything down and glitched too often to be truly fun.
I then found it for windows phone and downloaded it. It plays really well and is good fun for a click and wait game. Set your characters to tasks to earn and unlock other characters and buildings from Quahog.
Sadly, windows support for the game is non-existent and you cannot unlock area 9 which means your progress stalls and stops.
You can spend real money on the game in windows, which is utterly pointless as you can only buy stuff which is unlocked up to area 8. I cannot stress enough DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON THE WINDOWS VERSION.
If, however, you have an Android phone or tablet, have at it. Limited time events run often to add new fun elements to the game. It is supported with regular updates and bug fixes, all areas can be unlocked and all characters can be earned by watching videos to earn clams (in-game currency) if you are patient enough to wait for them.
  
Dinner At The Happy Skeleton
Dinner At The Happy Skeleton
Chris Chalmers | 2017 | LGBTQ+
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For more reviews please visit https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com

When I was approached by the author, I was a little bit unsure, how I am going to react to this book. Before this book, I haven’t read other books about gay guys, but because I like to read different types of books (you will not know whether you like it until you try it), I decided to give this book a go, and I had very educational experience with this novel.

The blurb above described this novel very very accurately. The main character in this novel is Dan, and the whole book was told from Dan’s perspective. I really liked Dan’s personality in this book, I think he is very believable, funny, nice person, and I would like to have a friend like Dan.

The whole narrative of this book felt a lot like a diary. I really enjoyed reading not only Dan’s present life events but also, his memories about his ex-boyfriend, who brought Dan a lot of trust issues. As a person, who knows very little about gay people’s lives, I found this book very educational. I learned about gay guys lifestyle, and it was very interesting to have an insight into how they feel. This book for me felt a lot like reading a Chick lit book, but instead of a girl telling a story, it was a guy. (I hope you get what I mean…) The whole story is flowing very evenly, and I was missing the depth in this book, some deep conflict, which Dan could battle. The whole plot of this book has very close resemblance with author’s bio down below, so I strongly believe, that there are some true facts and stories which author shared in this novel, and it just increased my curiosity, of which parts are true, and which ones are fictional.

The writing style of this book is really pleasant and I really enjoyed how Chris Chalmers portrayed all the little details about London, Dan’s personal feelings and interesting experiences. The chapters used in this novel are pretty short, so it was easy to read and it didn’t leave me bored. I would like to throw in a DISCLAIMER, that there is quite a lot of sex scenes/ talks in this book. The ending of this novel left me satisfied, as it is well deserved and rounds up this book really nicely. So, to conclude, it was a very interesting experience for me, where I got to feed my curiosity, and read some pretty interesting stories, which could’ve been based on true facts, and I do recommend to give it a try, you never know, you might enjoy it. 🙂
Was given this book by the author for an honest review.
  
Google Home
Google Home
Smart Home
Understands most things even my god awful mumbling (3 more)
Tends to be pretty good at searching through websites for specific information
Works brilliantly as a speaker and connects through Spotify
Amazing for essay writing when you need quick and short answers and facts
Has a fair amount of things it’s unable to help with (3 more)
You often need to try different phrasing to get the answer you’re looking for
Absolutely dire at letting you know if your alarms are set or not
Privacy.... and google.... really bad mix........
Personally I have found this device extremely useful just for the element of the speakers and as someone who is not going to notice a difference between speaker qualities I don’t at all mind that it isn’t rated the highest for that in comparison to some other smart speaker devices on the market.

Other than for music I use it for quick facts be it for essays or for weather and cooking and or these it works fantastically. You can quickly get fast responses on fairly niche topics that I would not have expected it to be able to have dragged up from the bowls of the internet.

The other great thing about it is that it can be updated and it will have the ability to be improved as time goes on and given that there is a fairly small collection of products like this one currently out on the market I think you are pretty safe from making an awful choice in choosing this one... I like it anyway!
  
Oh, Hamish...My Hamish...Where have you been all my life? Hamish is my kindred spirit. My best friend. The fictional character that I so desperately want to meet.

For Rachel McMillan to take something that she has personally dealt with her whole life, and give it to her HERO...It is one of the most beautiful things you will ever witness. I feel like I not only know Hamish...But I know Ms. McMillan better. She opened her heart and let the words pour onto the page. The description is REAL, the emotion is REAL, the pain and the heartache is REAL. Anxiety...is REAL!

In addition to the anxiety factor...We have all the makings for an intense and intriguing mystery. A suave Italian nightclub owner, a bad guy on the hunt, and a high class born young lady determined to solve a crime. One of the themes that stood out to me in this story, is the sense of finding home.

"What if home wasn't something you were born into but rather something you found and ultimately chose?"

Murder at the Flamingo is a story full of life and adventure! From the North End of Boston to the nightclub scene of the 1930s...You will want to dance the night away with Reggie and Hamish in this new mystery from Rachel McMillan!

I received a complimentary copy of Murder at the Flamingo. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
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Saskia (283 KP) rated Slack in Apps

Aug 30, 2018  
Slack
Slack
Business, Productivity
7
8.6 (7 Ratings)
App Rating
Fairly simple to use (2 more)
Free to download
Good communication app for businesses
Poor security (2 more)
You can't have group conversations
Can be awkward to follow threads
Just good
So I work for a rather large logisitics company and we used slack as a way of each department staying connected. We stopped using it after about 6 months because the company found that security was poor and not to the standards to what our company wanted it to be. I liked using the app because it meant I could ask for advice and speak to colleagues from all over the country but sometimes it was difficult to follow the conversation topic because other people would be having another conversation in between. It was simple to use as in setting up and 1 on 1 conversations but I never found out how to do a small group chat and also how to reply to one comment even though someone mastered that straight away. So in short some things were a lot easier than other things. All in all I think it's a good app but should be aimed at maybe school/college/uni groups not company's that may share sensitive or important information.