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Stitch It Simple: 25 hand sewn projects to make and share
Stitch It Simple: 25 hand sewn projects to make and share
Beth Sheard | 2017 | Art, Photography & Fashion
10
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Stitch it simple is one of those rare books where I like every single pattern. I mean really, how can you not love a stuffed cat door stop, or felt slippers, or adorable elephants hanging down? The patterns range from small décor (stuffed butterfly, an Owl card) to large, (purses, window panels, cushions)

One thing I really like is a lot of the patterns have little “alternate patterns,” with a variation on the pattern. For instance the bird table-runner has a variation to make it into a placemat. The Owl card has an alternate Owl Tote bag you can make.

All the photographs are beautiful, and it has detailed drawings and diagrams on the techniques. This book would be awesome for people who want one book and lots of projects that will get them started sewing for the home.
  
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Chino Moreno recommended Black Noise by Pantha Du Prince in Music (curated)

 
Black Noise by Pantha Du Prince
Black Noise by Pantha Du Prince
2010 | Techno
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"If I had to pick my favourite record of this year it'd be Black Noise, I've certainly listened to it the most this year. It's another of those records that I can listen to whatever I'm doing - it's borderline background music if you know what I mean, but sometimes if you just put it on really loud it's totally hypnotic. I never thought I'd like techno music, but this really brought me in. Normally when I hear 4.4 beats I just put it in one category, but the sonics of this are amazing - bits of it sound like little pieces of metal, there are all these organic, earthy sounds. It's programmed noise. There's a dark edge to it, but not too dark. Also I love the artwork, it really pairs with the music, really made me listen to it in greater depth."

Source
  
The Killing Kind
The Killing Kind
Jane Casey | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Killing Kind is a gripping psychological thriller packed full of suspense. I didn’t know who to trust - even the main character, a barrister, is pretty unreliable. It’s hard to put a finger on who the bad guys are: it’s not black and white, but shades of grey. So this is a book that will keep you guessing from start to finish.

It’s always interesting when the character you’re not supposed to like (in this case it’s John Webster, a stalker amongst other things) is more likeable than Ingrid, the main character. And the police don’t seem to be much better.

I really enjoyed this - it’s the second Jane Casey book I’ve read, and I doubt it’ll be the last. If you like psychological thrillers, you’ll love this!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this 😊
  
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Nicky Wire recommended Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon in Music (curated)

 
Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon
Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The drum sound! The greatest bass sound ever! The rawness of it. ‘Isolation’ I absolutely love, and obviously we covered ‘Working Class Hero’. It’s really tight but there’s something about it that feels like they haven’t rehearsed much either - you see the film and they’re all coming in on the hoof. There’s some kind of bluesy nastiness - and I’m not a fan of the blues either - but there’s something about it, John Lennon’s guitar is really good on it, I think his guitaring was underrated actually. There’s so much savage bitterness there, ‘Mother’, just to start with the fucking bell chiming. I love that savageness. He’s having a go at McCartney, but he does it with so much wit, he can always glide over the top of it. I wish I had that ability, not to always drag it down with pure pettiness. “I don't believe in Elvis. I don't believe in Zimmerman/ I don't believe in Beatles” - I don’t think he could get “The Beatles” in, so it’s just “don’t believe in Beatles”. I love that album. There was a lot of that on [Wire’s solo album] I Killed The Zeitgeist actually, and there’s a lot on this album. I tried to learn that critical self-examination. I think John was a lot more psychoanalytical, he could use what he considered help, where as I was fucking on my own."

Source
  
Dreamland
Dreamland
Sarah Dessen | 2000 | Fiction & Poetry
8
6.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
"Dreamland" by Sarah Dessen tells the story of Caitlin O'Koren as she navigates her first love with a boy named Rogerson as her family is going through the crisis of her older sister Cass running away. Caitlin finds a home in Rogerson when her parents start to treat Caitlin like Cass, putting her schedule on the refrigerator, going to every game Caitlin cheers at, packing snacks for the team. But when Caitlin discovers that Rogerson isn't the man she met in the parking lot that night, she starts to pull away from those closest to her - ditching school, avoiding her best friend, missing cheer practice, smoking weed, pushing her parents away. Caitlin then has to figure out what's more important, her relationship with Rogerson or her relationship with her friends and family.

I loved this novel. I think it was beautifully written. When the ball drops about Rogerson and Caitlin's relationship, you don't expect it at all. You are so involved in the book and the characters, rooting for the relationship, wondering if Cass is going to come home, questioning Caitlin's parent's motives, that when it all happens, it feels like it's not only happening to Caitlin, but to you too. I think that Sarah Dessen did a wonderful job of putting this type of relationship on paper and having it be relatable while still being realistic.

In contrast, I didn't like how rushed the ending was. There's this point of 2 to 3 pages being a couple weeks to a month long and it just feels rushed. I wish I could've gotten a little more development when it came to the end of the novel, but I don't think it injured the story or the plotline in any way. Secondly, I wish there was more character development on Rogerson. I think that for someone that Caitlin is supposedly in love with, we don't really know much about him. And maybe that's because he just naturally wasn't very open with Caitlin, or if that was the author's choice. Either way, I wish there was a little more.

I would 1000% recommend this book to young adults as well as adults. I think that this novel does a wonderful job of giving you an insight into unhealthy relationships and shows how hard they are to get out of. Without revealing too much, I think that this book could really start a conversation.
  
The Forest
The Forest
2014 | Action/Adventure, Horror, Simulation
Interesting Story (4 more)
Interactive, Open World
Peaceful Mode
Immersive
Great Survival Game
cannibals (2 more)
mutants
caves
Scarily Fun
This game has been my most recent obsession. I love playing it. It takes a lot of play to actually piece together what's going on, but you can just have fun without the story. I play more often on peaceful mode which allows me to just explore the island, and craft houses and other things. The game revolves around finding your son, who was kidnapped after your plane crashed on an island. There are a bunch of underground caves that you have to explore to find different items and clues that explain what's really going on around the island. However, you also have to fight off mutants and cannibals who roam the island trying to kill you while you're trying to survive and find your son. Overall, I really like the game; it has an interesting concept and story, and even just on peaceful mode, you can spend hours exploring, hunting, building, crafting, and just surviving in the forest.
  
Days of War, Nights of Love
Days of War, Nights of Love
Crimethinc Collective | 2001 | Education, Essays, History & Politics, Mind, Body & Spiritual, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Got no money? No problem you can download this book for free (0 more)
Crimethinc exists on the verges of capitalist society instead of forming a better one for all. (0 more)
Radical revolutionary
This book is a manifesto of sorts that challenges you to challenge yourself and the things around you. To deliberately seek meaning in all you do and live your life in ways that bring joy and make the world a richer place because if it.
Crimethinc take you away from the false idea of anarchy if safety pins and riots and show it as an intellectual intelligent philosophy in being a more positive human being. It changed the way I think and live and I hope I've managed to bring others more happiness because of it. And after all, like the books says, is there anything more anarchic and radical than falling in love? It goes against all conventions of reality and is irrational and yet something we live for.

My only criticism is Crimethinc's ideas often act on the fringe of an existing society instead of bringing everyone with us.
  
Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life
Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life
Nina Stibbe | 2014 | Biography
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Taken from my review on Goodreads: I enjoy reading my memoirs every once in a while because you have no idea what voices real people will have written on paper. The first half of the memoir actually had endearing moments, especially when it came to how Nina bonded with the boys she was watching while their mother worked. I enjoyed the boys' antics because at least this proves that they are real people. The second half of the book was a lot more boring, especially when it comes to Nina mocking lots of classic literature. Maybe I just didn't like Nina as a character in the memoir. She just seemed way too judgmental of everything even though she did love the boys she was caring for in the 80's. As much as I really wanted to like this book, I started to get bored to the point that I almost dropped it. In fact, I barely remember what happened towards the end because I just skimmed through my Kindle like a zombie. If you guys can survive through it, wonderful. It's just not exactly for me.