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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Dumb House: (Scottish Classics) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
This book was nothing like what I thought it would, and for that reason, it disappointed me.
I believed this novel was going to be a creepy, man-holds-children-captive kind of story, but unfortunately it wasn’t. This was far more intelligent, with lots of complex writing than I had expected, and due to that, I couldn’t really get into it. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed so I feel like a lot of this book went over my head.
There’s no doubt about it, our narrator is one of the most terrifying and disturbed narrators I’ve ever come across, and thanks to my love for the macabre, this made reading his story sometimes enjoyable. When he was simply recalling his actions in the here and now, I was interested, but when he got into his ramblings about his ideas on testing the innateness of language, my mind moved onto different things. Hence it taking me almost a week and a half to read 204 pages.
Burnside is an incredibly beautiful writer, it doesn’t surprise me to see he’s a poetry writer as well as a fiction writer. I’m always one to praise an author for their poetic prose, but sometimes things get a little too complex for me and all meaning is lost on me. This happened a lot throughout reading The Dumb House.
In terms of the story, this wasn’t exactly what I had hoped it would be. It was very slow to get anywhere, and even when we did get to learning his experiment on his children, that whole section was equally slow-moving. It didn’t feel like an awful lot happened other than several uncomfortable sex scenes and some horrifying violence.
Unfortunately, this one didn’t do it for me, which is a shame, because I was so looking forward to reading it. I suppose if you love intelligent fiction that is reasonably ambiguous, this might be great for you. I personally like a book that challenges my mind, but this one went too far for me.
I believed this novel was going to be a creepy, man-holds-children-captive kind of story, but unfortunately it wasn’t. This was far more intelligent, with lots of complex writing than I had expected, and due to that, I couldn’t really get into it. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed so I feel like a lot of this book went over my head.
There’s no doubt about it, our narrator is one of the most terrifying and disturbed narrators I’ve ever come across, and thanks to my love for the macabre, this made reading his story sometimes enjoyable. When he was simply recalling his actions in the here and now, I was interested, but when he got into his ramblings about his ideas on testing the innateness of language, my mind moved onto different things. Hence it taking me almost a week and a half to read 204 pages.
Burnside is an incredibly beautiful writer, it doesn’t surprise me to see he’s a poetry writer as well as a fiction writer. I’m always one to praise an author for their poetic prose, but sometimes things get a little too complex for me and all meaning is lost on me. This happened a lot throughout reading The Dumb House.
In terms of the story, this wasn’t exactly what I had hoped it would be. It was very slow to get anywhere, and even when we did get to learning his experiment on his children, that whole section was equally slow-moving. It didn’t feel like an awful lot happened other than several uncomfortable sex scenes and some horrifying violence.
Unfortunately, this one didn’t do it for me, which is a shame, because I was so looking forward to reading it. I suppose if you love intelligent fiction that is reasonably ambiguous, this might be great for you. I personally like a book that challenges my mind, but this one went too far for me.
Debbiereadsbook (1567 KP) rated Wanted- Bad Boyfriend (Island Classifieds #1) in Books
Aug 21, 2018
a great easy read
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.
Everyone thinks Nate should have a boyfriend, NEEDS one to be happy. But is ok by himself, mostly. So he hatches a plan with the island's resident bad boy. Pretend to be together for a bit, the Flynn can do his thing, dump Nate and everyone will leave him alone. Only, there are a couple of problems with said plan: both are surprised by the chemistry between them, and actually, Flynn turns out to be quite a good boyfriend. And it becomes a case on not pretending.
I LIKED this book. I did not love it though, and *insert wailing sound* I don't know why!
It's well told, from both Flynn and Nate's point of view, in the past tense. It has some sexy bits, some funny bits, some difficult reading bits and some emotional bits.
We don't get all of Flynn and Nate's history in one go, it comes along bits at time. In fact, much of Flynn's history is still unexplained. I still don't know which of those rumours were true, and just why he did not return for his father's funeral.
It does throw a CORKER twist at you though! I did NOT see that one coming, not at all!! There I was, merrily reading away *don't tell anyone* on a quiet Sunday afternoon at work, and BOOM!!! Moore throws that at me and I'm like SAY WHAT NOW!?!?!?!?!? Out loud! I rarely am vocal when reading (more so when listening) and my colleague is like "Are you okay?" And I'm like "but look what she did!" Seriously well played with that Ms Moore, very VERY well played!
Like I said, it's well told, well written and well delivered. I saw no spelling or editing errors to spoil my reading experience and I read it in that one afternoon.
I'm just sorry I didn't love it though.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Everyone thinks Nate should have a boyfriend, NEEDS one to be happy. But is ok by himself, mostly. So he hatches a plan with the island's resident bad boy. Pretend to be together for a bit, the Flynn can do his thing, dump Nate and everyone will leave him alone. Only, there are a couple of problems with said plan: both are surprised by the chemistry between them, and actually, Flynn turns out to be quite a good boyfriend. And it becomes a case on not pretending.
I LIKED this book. I did not love it though, and *insert wailing sound* I don't know why!
It's well told, from both Flynn and Nate's point of view, in the past tense. It has some sexy bits, some funny bits, some difficult reading bits and some emotional bits.
We don't get all of Flynn and Nate's history in one go, it comes along bits at time. In fact, much of Flynn's history is still unexplained. I still don't know which of those rumours were true, and just why he did not return for his father's funeral.
It does throw a CORKER twist at you though! I did NOT see that one coming, not at all!! There I was, merrily reading away *don't tell anyone* on a quiet Sunday afternoon at work, and BOOM!!! Moore throws that at me and I'm like SAY WHAT NOW!?!?!?!?!? Out loud! I rarely am vocal when reading (more so when listening) and my colleague is like "Are you okay?" And I'm like "but look what she did!" Seriously well played with that Ms Moore, very VERY well played!
Like I said, it's well told, well written and well delivered. I saw no spelling or editing errors to spoil my reading experience and I read it in that one afternoon.
I'm just sorry I didn't love it though.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Like Water in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I'm always interested in queer young adult books, and this one especially caught my eye with its mention of "performing mermaids." Because y'all know I love my mermaid books! So Savannah isn't a real mermaid, she just plays one at a water park. But it was enough to make me pick up the book, and it's a good book. Young adult books about discovering your identity are always needed, and this book is about Savannah realizing she's bisexual.
Much of the angst in this book comes from Savannah not knowing if she has the same disease her father does, and she's not sure if she wants to know. Altogether, in this book we have chronic illness, hispanic teens, bisexual, lesbian, and genderqueer teens, small-town angst....there's really a LOT of demographics covered in this book.
I like Savannah, but I don't like her love interest, Leigh, very much. Leigh does NOT have her shit together, and between drinking and doing drugs, all while underage, she poses a very real threat to Savannah's well-being.
I'm a little nonplussed by the ending of the book. It leaves a few questions unanswered, but not in a cliff-hanger-y way. It's more of a possibilities-left-open kind of way. Which makes sense for a "first love" romance. It's not necessarily a "true love" story. It reminds me of John Green novels in that way.
So - it's a great book for representation, but don't expect a tidy, wrapped-up ending. You won't find that here.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Much of the angst in this book comes from Savannah not knowing if she has the same disease her father does, and she's not sure if she wants to know. Altogether, in this book we have chronic illness, hispanic teens, bisexual, lesbian, and genderqueer teens, small-town angst....there's really a LOT of demographics covered in this book.
I like Savannah, but I don't like her love interest, Leigh, very much. Leigh does NOT have her shit together, and between drinking and doing drugs, all while underage, she poses a very real threat to Savannah's well-being.
I'm a little nonplussed by the ending of the book. It leaves a few questions unanswered, but not in a cliff-hanger-y way. It's more of a possibilities-left-open kind of way. Which makes sense for a "first love" romance. It's not necessarily a "true love" story. It reminds me of John Green novels in that way.
So - it's a great book for representation, but don't expect a tidy, wrapped-up ending. You won't find that here.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Hive Carbon in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
You know when you just watched “The Avengers: Endgame” and you are totally jonesing for an epic war game? Well, I don’t really like war games, so I turned to Hive for my war game itch. Though I was unable to annihilate my opponent’s troops, I was able to entrap their Queen several times, so that’s a W in my book.
DISCLAIMER: There are few versions of Hive, but we will be using the Carbon edition for our review. This includes the ladybug and the mosquito pieces. -T
Hive is a Chess-style abstract game (with a way better skin/theme) where you take control of an army of insects that are trying to enclose your opponent’s Queen Bee. The different insect species have different move abilities that you must employ efficiently in order to win the skirmish. I won’t go through each bug’s movement here, but each one has very interesting movement rules and they make logical sense… well, to me at least. Ok I will give you a couple moves for examples. The Queen Bee can only move one space on her turn. Queen Bees are the biggest bees in the hive, so it makes sense that she would move slowly. The Grasshopper does not move like other insects because they hop over tiles in a straight line and end up at the end of the line. Makes sense. This is the game. Use your bugs and their varying movement styles to trap the Queen Bee and take victory.
Components. This is so easy. This game is a box, a travel case, and a bunch of hexagonal bakelite tiles. The box is a normal box that holds the bag, which holds the tiles. Or you can ditch the bag and just use the box. Or you can ditch the box and just use the bag. I kept both. The bag is good quality. The tiles are big and chunky and wonderful and they just feel so good to hold and place and move. I love bakelite components. A+ from me!
What about the game play? Well, I am not really a huge Chess fan. I can certainly see why people go crazy over it, but it never really clicked for me. This, however, clicks for me juuuuuuust fine. I love the different bugs and figuring out how best to move them. I love being able to be tactical while also still using an overarching strategy. I love watching the reactions when my opponents realize they have been beat. I really just love love love this game. I had it once upon a time, sold it at BGG auction, then missed it so much I had to get it again (at a gamer garage sale). I will never part with it again.
This is not my favorite Chess replacement (see Onitama), but it’s an excellent one. I am not alone in my assessment as you see Purple Phoenix Games gives Hive Carbon a buzzing 9 / 12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/hive-carbon-review/
DISCLAIMER: There are few versions of Hive, but we will be using the Carbon edition for our review. This includes the ladybug and the mosquito pieces. -T
Hive is a Chess-style abstract game (with a way better skin/theme) where you take control of an army of insects that are trying to enclose your opponent’s Queen Bee. The different insect species have different move abilities that you must employ efficiently in order to win the skirmish. I won’t go through each bug’s movement here, but each one has very interesting movement rules and they make logical sense… well, to me at least. Ok I will give you a couple moves for examples. The Queen Bee can only move one space on her turn. Queen Bees are the biggest bees in the hive, so it makes sense that she would move slowly. The Grasshopper does not move like other insects because they hop over tiles in a straight line and end up at the end of the line. Makes sense. This is the game. Use your bugs and their varying movement styles to trap the Queen Bee and take victory.
Components. This is so easy. This game is a box, a travel case, and a bunch of hexagonal bakelite tiles. The box is a normal box that holds the bag, which holds the tiles. Or you can ditch the bag and just use the box. Or you can ditch the box and just use the bag. I kept both. The bag is good quality. The tiles are big and chunky and wonderful and they just feel so good to hold and place and move. I love bakelite components. A+ from me!
What about the game play? Well, I am not really a huge Chess fan. I can certainly see why people go crazy over it, but it never really clicked for me. This, however, clicks for me juuuuuuust fine. I love the different bugs and figuring out how best to move them. I love being able to be tactical while also still using an overarching strategy. I love watching the reactions when my opponents realize they have been beat. I really just love love love this game. I had it once upon a time, sold it at BGG auction, then missed it so much I had to get it again (at a gamer garage sale). I will never part with it again.
This is not my favorite Chess replacement (see Onitama), but it’s an excellent one. I am not alone in my assessment as you see Purple Phoenix Games gives Hive Carbon a buzzing 9 / 12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/hive-carbon-review/
Wendy Jo (37 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition in Video Games
Mar 2, 2019
Worth the 20 year wait!
Literally have played this franchise since I was 8. Never even for a second imagined there being a third installment. When it came out I couldn't afford it, and the wait for the game made finally besting each difficulty and getting the fill story line so very worth it. The Seasonal Play, (comes as an option, not a pass like with Fortnite or Paladins) further adds to the excitement of rare loot and drops. Granted, you are playing the same game over and over, and for some people that would be infuriating, however, it's part of the reason I love the game so much.
Peter Brownhill (1 KP) rated Netflix in Apps
Jul 7, 2018
Great TV and movie streaming service
I really like Netflix. I had to be converted after only really watching Amazon for a while. I love the variety of TV series available and Netflix own productions are generally well worth the time. The films though aren't that great. Yes, there are some really good movies on there but when you're looking through the categories you can see that a lot of the films are repeated quite often and the rest are pretty rubbish. But to be honest I do watch Netflix a lot more than Amazon now.
Omari Hardwick recommended Coming to America (1988) in Movies (curated)
Jim Jarmusch recommended Heaven Knows What (2015) in Movies (curated)
Charlotte (184 KP) rated The Book of Gates (Galenor #1) in Books
Sep 20, 2021
A well written, thoroughly enjoyable read. Galenor has everything you'd hope for in a young adult fantasy. Danger, self -discovery, love, coming of age... the list goes on! I was enveloped in a new world that kept me guessing as to what would happen next.
At times tense, deep and shocking and others light-hearted and fun, which creates a great base for character development and relationship building. JudyAnn makes me smile, she takes things in her stride and is open to learning. She's likeable and I feel like I'd definitely pick her as a friend.
A fab weekend read that will transport you to another world!
@Merissa
At times tense, deep and shocking and others light-hearted and fun, which creates a great base for character development and relationship building. JudyAnn makes me smile, she takes things in her stride and is open to learning. She's likeable and I feel like I'd definitely pick her as a friend.
A fab weekend read that will transport you to another world!
@Merissa