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Sing! Karaoke by Smule
Music and Entertainment
10.0
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We all have a voice. Find yours with Sing! Karaoke by Smule. Duet with major artists like Ed Sheeran...
100% Biodegradable Comic Collection 1
8.0
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Book
The kind of wonderful craziness we've come to demand of the creators involved" - John Freeman, Titan...
Comic
100% Biodegradable Comic Collection 2
5.0
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Sponsored Purchased on 22 Jun 2020. View order details David Hailwood and 2 more 100%...
Debbiereadsbook (1097 KP) rated Guarding His Melody (Enhacned World #1) in Books
Sep 25, 2018
loved this addition to this world!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is billed as book 1 in the Enhanced World Standalones series, but you don't need to have red the 3 books in the main series, before this one. I have listened to book one, Five More Minutes, and am currently part way through book two, Who We Truly are and will get to Beneath This Mask after that. Mild spoilers, is all. and a hint at what I have to come.
After getting meningitis as a child, Seb is left deaf. Throw in mark of the Enhanced that appeared when he was 12, and life has thrown him a double whammy. When there are death threats, Seb hires Gray as a bodyguard. But the Threat is getting worse, after the death of his previous bodyguard and that of his music teacher. If Seb could shake these crippling headaches, and just play his piano, he'll be happy.
I'm really enjoying these books! They are different and different is always good in my book!
Seb is pretty much housebound, but the first thing Gray does, is drag him out of bed at stoopid o'clock to do Tia-Chi in the garden. Helped him, so gotta be worth a try, right?? And that there, is what I particularly LOVED about this book.
The HINTS at what Gray suffered. You don't get the FULL story, not at all, just hints and clues along the way that make you put together a picture, a bigger picture at what Gray suffered, HOW much he suffered and how he got through it. But you just know, that someone else will put together a different picture, with the same clues. And I LOVED that!
Seb's threat isn't who I thought it was, but it was just as bad. I do love being proven wrong!
The chemistry between Gray and Seb bubbles along for much of the book, and I did, at one point, think we wouldn't get to the main event, but we do, and it is glorious!
Talon and Finn (Five Minutes Longer) pop up at the end, and the others are mentioned at various places in the book, so ties the books together.
The Enhanced status of Seb plays very much second fiddle to his deafness.
But I'm not left wanting to LISTEN to this book. Nick J Russo narrates the other books, and I hope he does this one too. I'm eager to see how Seb's voice comes across.
I originally wrote 4 stars at the top of the page (and yes, i do WRITE them up by hand before I post them!) but, actually, I can't find anything to knock that star off, so...
5 full stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is billed as book 1 in the Enhanced World Standalones series, but you don't need to have red the 3 books in the main series, before this one. I have listened to book one, Five More Minutes, and am currently part way through book two, Who We Truly are and will get to Beneath This Mask after that. Mild spoilers, is all. and a hint at what I have to come.
After getting meningitis as a child, Seb is left deaf. Throw in mark of the Enhanced that appeared when he was 12, and life has thrown him a double whammy. When there are death threats, Seb hires Gray as a bodyguard. But the Threat is getting worse, after the death of his previous bodyguard and that of his music teacher. If Seb could shake these crippling headaches, and just play his piano, he'll be happy.
I'm really enjoying these books! They are different and different is always good in my book!
Seb is pretty much housebound, but the first thing Gray does, is drag him out of bed at stoopid o'clock to do Tia-Chi in the garden. Helped him, so gotta be worth a try, right?? And that there, is what I particularly LOVED about this book.
The HINTS at what Gray suffered. You don't get the FULL story, not at all, just hints and clues along the way that make you put together a picture, a bigger picture at what Gray suffered, HOW much he suffered and how he got through it. But you just know, that someone else will put together a different picture, with the same clues. And I LOVED that!
Seb's threat isn't who I thought it was, but it was just as bad. I do love being proven wrong!
The chemistry between Gray and Seb bubbles along for much of the book, and I did, at one point, think we wouldn't get to the main event, but we do, and it is glorious!
Talon and Finn (Five Minutes Longer) pop up at the end, and the others are mentioned at various places in the book, so ties the books together.
The Enhanced status of Seb plays very much second fiddle to his deafness.
But I'm not left wanting to LISTEN to this book. Nick J Russo narrates the other books, and I hope he does this one too. I'm eager to see how Seb's voice comes across.
I originally wrote 4 stars at the top of the page (and yes, i do WRITE them up by hand before I post them!) but, actually, I can't find anything to knock that star off, so...
5 full stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Root For The Villian: Rap, Bull$hit ad a Celebration of Failure
Book
Yawn. Another book from another musician. Let's guess: He rose from the depths of hell with his...
Debbiereadsbook (1097 KP) rated Homeward Bound (Pine Cove #3) in Books
Sep 29, 2019 (Updated Dec 6, 2019)
can't fault it!
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.
Swift finds out he is a father, 5 years after Imogen’s birth. But Imogen’s mum is struggling and Swift takes custody of his daughter while mum sorts herself out. Micha is home, after some time in custody, and is struggling being at home. He loves his family, he really does, but they don’t know who he is, deep down, he can’t tell them, not after what he did before he left. Swift comes to Micha’s aid and vice versa. The things start to spiral out of control with Micha being in such close proximity to Imogen, when his past finds and threatens those he has come to love, and Micha makes a dreadful decision. Can Swift get to him in time?
Ms Welch has out done herself, AGAIN!
I mean, the whole previously undiscovered bisexuality genre is growing on me, big time, and it is almost entirely due to Ms Welch’s skill at writing these characters!
Swift is Robin’s (from book 1, Safe Harbor) older brother, and Swift is Micha’s older brother’s best friend. Micha makes no bones about his attraction to Swift, from when they all hung out together when he was a teenager. But Micha is a grown man now, and surely can’t still be crushing on Swift, right? Clearly, he is. And he struggles so much with that attraction with Swift’s little, entirely innocent, touches, because Micha doesn’t want them to be innocent. But Swift is straight, cos he has a child. And Micha just suffers in silence.
Swift, however, is questioning everything. His daughter just landed on his doorstep, and he has no idea what to do! Having Micha help is a godsend. Having Micha in his space is . .nice. Having Micha OUT his space, is not so nice and it’s not till Swift thinks he might lose Micha that he questions why he feels like that. And Swift is just like, Okay then! Micha is MINE and I want him back. And he goes all out!
When Micha tells Swift about why he can’t tell his family he is gay, I cried, I really did. It breaks your heart, the pain he has been carrying around all this time.
It’s a well told tale, of getting what and WHO you want, it really is!
But PULEEEEEZE, Ms Welch, write Ava and Peyton a full story!!
5 full and shiny stars!
Nick J Russo narrates this series.
And just as Ms Welch outdid herself WRITING this book, Russo outdid himself NARRATING it.
I mean, I rarely react out loud (verbally, shouitng, crying at what I'm reading) when I am READING. When I am LISTENING, however, its a totally different ball game and I don't think I was ever more verbal with this book than maybe one other, in years of being an audio book listener!
Right from the start, Russo broke my heart for Micha. Well Welch did of course, but HEARING how broken Micha feels he is? I think I was crying right at the first chapter!
But when Micha is telling Swift why they can't be together?? Oh dear Lord. I had to stop what I was doing and just listen to poor Micha pour his heart out to Swift and I sobbed my bloody socks off! So much so, my daughter came in to ask if I was okay!
But equally, Russo gets over Swift's emotions too. Not quite as dramatically and gut wrenching as Micha's but Swift goes through a lot here, and Russo gets all of that across.
The voices for the other characters are carried across the series perfectly, and most of them pop uo here are some point.
While I was listening, I made a connection to book 4 that I hadn't made when I was reading. Elias and Ben pop up here and it was great to figure out where they fit in into the Pine Cove bigger picture. I have their book to read next.
5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Swift finds out he is a father, 5 years after Imogen’s birth. But Imogen’s mum is struggling and Swift takes custody of his daughter while mum sorts herself out. Micha is home, after some time in custody, and is struggling being at home. He loves his family, he really does, but they don’t know who he is, deep down, he can’t tell them, not after what he did before he left. Swift comes to Micha’s aid and vice versa. The things start to spiral out of control with Micha being in such close proximity to Imogen, when his past finds and threatens those he has come to love, and Micha makes a dreadful decision. Can Swift get to him in time?
Ms Welch has out done herself, AGAIN!
I mean, the whole previously undiscovered bisexuality genre is growing on me, big time, and it is almost entirely due to Ms Welch’s skill at writing these characters!
Swift is Robin’s (from book 1, Safe Harbor) older brother, and Swift is Micha’s older brother’s best friend. Micha makes no bones about his attraction to Swift, from when they all hung out together when he was a teenager. But Micha is a grown man now, and surely can’t still be crushing on Swift, right? Clearly, he is. And he struggles so much with that attraction with Swift’s little, entirely innocent, touches, because Micha doesn’t want them to be innocent. But Swift is straight, cos he has a child. And Micha just suffers in silence.
Swift, however, is questioning everything. His daughter just landed on his doorstep, and he has no idea what to do! Having Micha help is a godsend. Having Micha in his space is . .nice. Having Micha OUT his space, is not so nice and it’s not till Swift thinks he might lose Micha that he questions why he feels like that. And Swift is just like, Okay then! Micha is MINE and I want him back. And he goes all out!
When Micha tells Swift about why he can’t tell his family he is gay, I cried, I really did. It breaks your heart, the pain he has been carrying around all this time.
It’s a well told tale, of getting what and WHO you want, it really is!
But PULEEEEEZE, Ms Welch, write Ava and Peyton a full story!!
5 full and shiny stars!
Nick J Russo narrates this series.
And just as Ms Welch outdid herself WRITING this book, Russo outdid himself NARRATING it.
I mean, I rarely react out loud (verbally, shouitng, crying at what I'm reading) when I am READING. When I am LISTENING, however, its a totally different ball game and I don't think I was ever more verbal with this book than maybe one other, in years of being an audio book listener!
Right from the start, Russo broke my heart for Micha. Well Welch did of course, but HEARING how broken Micha feels he is? I think I was crying right at the first chapter!
But when Micha is telling Swift why they can't be together?? Oh dear Lord. I had to stop what I was doing and just listen to poor Micha pour his heart out to Swift and I sobbed my bloody socks off! So much so, my daughter came in to ask if I was okay!
But equally, Russo gets over Swift's emotions too. Not quite as dramatically and gut wrenching as Micha's but Swift goes through a lot here, and Russo gets all of that across.
The voices for the other characters are carried across the series perfectly, and most of them pop uo here are some point.
While I was listening, I made a connection to book 4 that I hadn't made when I was reading. Elias and Ben pop up here and it was great to figure out where they fit in into the Pine Cove bigger picture. I have their book to read next.
5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Word-Scape
Education and Games
App
How to use this app: Ideally it would be used along with the book from a famous University in...
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Taped - Single by Naaz in Music
Jul 10, 2019
Naaz is a 21-year old Kurdish singer-songwriter based in The Netherlands. Not too long ago, she released a lovely music video for her “Taped” single.
“Sometimes, people will hear your pain but not actually listen. It’s like their ears are taped to whatever they don’t want to hear. I told my friend about my never-ending nightmares that sometimes can feel so real that they’ve been altering the way I see the world. His reply was that he wouldn’t want to have my mind. So I wrote a song about it.” – Naaz
‘Taped’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who tends to overshare what she thinks to people close to her.
But she feels awkward the moment she stops talking, not understanding why she thinks the way she thinks. Therefore, she shuts her thoughts up and feels less human whenever someone doesn’t appreciate her mind.
What she really wants is for people to relate to what she has to say, and for them to not feel alienated by her thoughts.
‘Taped’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation created by Naaz & Soulsearchin’.
“When I was 15-years-old, I had taught myself to stop speaking as it often brought me in trouble. I’ve always had such strong opinions that it ended up in me being bullied for years. Once I turned 18, I had to start socializing again as I was putting out music. I felt like my mind, ears, and mouth were TAPED shut for years. Therefore, I became an extremely open person just to make up for all the years before where I mistreated myself with my mindset. I realized my way of thinking was not too realistic, not everyone will leave me when I cry because everybody cries. I hope this song inspires you to be open and dare to scream out your feelings. Seriously, it will change everything. Allow yourself to be inspired by the struggle. Don’t let yourself be TAPED.” – Naaz
Naaz feels that honesty online could be the therapy that we all need, along with helping a few others along the way. Therefore, she practices what she preaches.
“This is the artwork. You see 3 generations of Naaz. This portrays the evolution of me, my music, and my life. A new era. Old and young Naaz is taping their eyes shut to what they don’t want to see. But I decide to confront myself and open up. I will no longer be TAPED.” – Naaz
Making music to Naaz is like having conversations with herself and others. She unfolds this in every song she’s ever written and communicated with her fanbase.
Not too long ago, her career skyrocketed shortly after releasing her debut EP, entitled, “Bits of Naaz”.
Since then, the bubbly pop star has won two Dutch Grammies (Edisons) and was nominated for Best Act at MTV’s EMAs. Also, she supported Arcade Fire, Jessie J, and Hayley Kiyoko.
Naaz will play across Europe towards the end of the year before ending in Amsterdam.
“Sometimes, people will hear your pain but not actually listen. It’s like their ears are taped to whatever they don’t want to hear. I told my friend about my never-ending nightmares that sometimes can feel so real that they’ve been altering the way I see the world. His reply was that he wouldn’t want to have my mind. So I wrote a song about it.” – Naaz
‘Taped’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who tends to overshare what she thinks to people close to her.
But she feels awkward the moment she stops talking, not understanding why she thinks the way she thinks. Therefore, she shuts her thoughts up and feels less human whenever someone doesn’t appreciate her mind.
What she really wants is for people to relate to what she has to say, and for them to not feel alienated by her thoughts.
‘Taped’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation created by Naaz & Soulsearchin’.
“When I was 15-years-old, I had taught myself to stop speaking as it often brought me in trouble. I’ve always had such strong opinions that it ended up in me being bullied for years. Once I turned 18, I had to start socializing again as I was putting out music. I felt like my mind, ears, and mouth were TAPED shut for years. Therefore, I became an extremely open person just to make up for all the years before where I mistreated myself with my mindset. I realized my way of thinking was not too realistic, not everyone will leave me when I cry because everybody cries. I hope this song inspires you to be open and dare to scream out your feelings. Seriously, it will change everything. Allow yourself to be inspired by the struggle. Don’t let yourself be TAPED.” – Naaz
Naaz feels that honesty online could be the therapy that we all need, along with helping a few others along the way. Therefore, she practices what she preaches.
“This is the artwork. You see 3 generations of Naaz. This portrays the evolution of me, my music, and my life. A new era. Old and young Naaz is taping their eyes shut to what they don’t want to see. But I decide to confront myself and open up. I will no longer be TAPED.” – Naaz
Making music to Naaz is like having conversations with herself and others. She unfolds this in every song she’s ever written and communicated with her fanbase.
Not too long ago, her career skyrocketed shortly after releasing her debut EP, entitled, “Bits of Naaz”.
Since then, the bubbly pop star has won two Dutch Grammies (Edisons) and was nominated for Best Act at MTV’s EMAs. Also, she supported Arcade Fire, Jessie J, and Hayley Kiyoko.
Naaz will play across Europe towards the end of the year before ending in Amsterdam.
Maxthon 5 Cloud Web Browser
Utilities
App
Maxthon 5 is the world's first browser that seamlessly connect all your devices together based on...
Lee (2222 KP) rated Weathering with You (2019) in Movies
Jan 31, 2020
Weathering With You is another beautifully creative romantic fantasy from director Makoto Shinkai, who was responsible for 2016 hit, Your Name. I only recently watched Your Name, and to say that it blew me away would be an understatement - it's a movie I still think about to this day. So, I headed into Weathering With You, perhaps a little unfairly, with some pretty high expectations. Consequently, I came away a little disappointed. But that's not to say that this isn't a great movie.
As with Your Name, one of the core themes behind Weathering With You is the pursuit of true love and it begins by introducing our teen protagonists before they've had a chance to meet. In rain-soaked Tokyo, Hina is attracted to a beam of sunlight that is cutting through the clouds across town, and she rushes off to try and get a closer look. Running up flights of stairs to a building rooftop, she comes across a simple shrine at the spot where the sunlight hits the Earth. Praying hard, she steps slowly through the shrine gate and the rain stops. We then see Hina falling through the sky, observing beautiful, magical weather all around her.
Hodaka is a 16 year old runaway, traveling by ferry boat to Tokyo. While standing out on deck during a powerful storm, flooding almost sends him overboard, but he is rescued by Mr Suga, a magazine publisher who ends up giving him his business card. After arriving in Tokyo and struggling to find work, Hodaka eventually calls upon Mr Suga, who gives him a job. The heavy rain that almost cost Hodaka his life has been persisting for some time now, despite being the middle of summer, and long range forecasts are predicting no real change for the foreseeable future. Storms are also leaving behind fish-like objects and a strange jelly substance, which is leaving experts baffled.
Hodaka first encounters Hina in the McDonalds where she is working, then later on Hodaka rescues Hina from what he believes to be a dangerous situation and the pair find themselves becoming friends. Through his reporting work at the magazine run by Mr Suga, Hodaka had been investigating the mythical "Weather Maidens", and he discovers that Hina is one of them, with the ability to bring about sunshine through prayer. With Hina and Hodaka both in desperate need of money, they go into business together, taking requests online from people wanting rain-free occasions, such as family picnics or weddings and earning Hina the name "Sunshine Girl". The power of a weather maiden comes at a cost though, as they eventually become a human sacrifice to the skies, with each use of their power bringing that moment one step closer.
The larger premise of Weathering With You is obviously climate change - how messing with nature always comes at a cost and how children have real power to influence change. Visually, the movie is simply stunning, and animated rainfall has never looked so beautiful. It's also peppered with a rather distracting and cheesy J-Pop score, made all the worse if you try and follow the on-screen lyrics, which obviously do not have the same impact when translated literally. Sadly, there are far too many plot threads presented throughout without any clarity or resolution and overall the whole thing just felt too long. Admittedly, it was a pretty high bar set by Your Name, but unfortunately Weathering With You doesn't have the emotional weight to meet that, with a narrative that isn't as complex or as engaging.
As with Your Name, one of the core themes behind Weathering With You is the pursuit of true love and it begins by introducing our teen protagonists before they've had a chance to meet. In rain-soaked Tokyo, Hina is attracted to a beam of sunlight that is cutting through the clouds across town, and she rushes off to try and get a closer look. Running up flights of stairs to a building rooftop, she comes across a simple shrine at the spot where the sunlight hits the Earth. Praying hard, she steps slowly through the shrine gate and the rain stops. We then see Hina falling through the sky, observing beautiful, magical weather all around her.
Hodaka is a 16 year old runaway, traveling by ferry boat to Tokyo. While standing out on deck during a powerful storm, flooding almost sends him overboard, but he is rescued by Mr Suga, a magazine publisher who ends up giving him his business card. After arriving in Tokyo and struggling to find work, Hodaka eventually calls upon Mr Suga, who gives him a job. The heavy rain that almost cost Hodaka his life has been persisting for some time now, despite being the middle of summer, and long range forecasts are predicting no real change for the foreseeable future. Storms are also leaving behind fish-like objects and a strange jelly substance, which is leaving experts baffled.
Hodaka first encounters Hina in the McDonalds where she is working, then later on Hodaka rescues Hina from what he believes to be a dangerous situation and the pair find themselves becoming friends. Through his reporting work at the magazine run by Mr Suga, Hodaka had been investigating the mythical "Weather Maidens", and he discovers that Hina is one of them, with the ability to bring about sunshine through prayer. With Hina and Hodaka both in desperate need of money, they go into business together, taking requests online from people wanting rain-free occasions, such as family picnics or weddings and earning Hina the name "Sunshine Girl". The power of a weather maiden comes at a cost though, as they eventually become a human sacrifice to the skies, with each use of their power bringing that moment one step closer.
The larger premise of Weathering With You is obviously climate change - how messing with nature always comes at a cost and how children have real power to influence change. Visually, the movie is simply stunning, and animated rainfall has never looked so beautiful. It's also peppered with a rather distracting and cheesy J-Pop score, made all the worse if you try and follow the on-screen lyrics, which obviously do not have the same impact when translated literally. Sadly, there are far too many plot threads presented throughout without any clarity or resolution and overall the whole thing just felt too long. Admittedly, it was a pretty high bar set by Your Name, but unfortunately Weathering With You doesn't have the emotional weight to meet that, with a narrative that isn't as complex or as engaging.