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Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Death of a Ghost (Hamish Macbeth, #32) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
This is good classic Hamish Macbeth. If you are a fan of the series already, then you won't be disappointed. If not, I think you could easily pick this one up and enjoy it as a stand-alone mystery without having read the previous books.
Called to the village of Drim to investigate claims of a "haunted" castle, Hamish and Charlie discover no ghosts, but they do find a dead body. Unfortunately it disappears before CDI Blair arrives on the scene. When the investigation points to local smugglers, the department is quick to wrap up the case. Hamish is not convinced, however, and puts his own life on the line to find the real killer.
Read more on <a href="https://booksthething.com/2017/02/03/review-death-of-a-ghost-by-m-c-beaton/">The Book's the Thing</a>.
<i>Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.</i>
Called to the village of Drim to investigate claims of a "haunted" castle, Hamish and Charlie discover no ghosts, but they do find a dead body. Unfortunately it disappears before CDI Blair arrives on the scene. When the investigation points to local smugglers, the department is quick to wrap up the case. Hamish is not convinced, however, and puts his own life on the line to find the real killer.
Read more on <a href="https://booksthething.com/2017/02/03/review-death-of-a-ghost-by-m-c-beaton/">The Book's the Thing</a>.
<i>Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.</i>
David McK (3633 KP) rated The Maharajah's General (Jack Lark, #2) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Following [a: Paul Fraser Collard|7024929|Paul Fraser Collard|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1368086413p2/7024929.jpg]'s [b: The Scarlet Thief|18752323|The Scarlet Thief|Paul Fraser Collard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1383577532s/18752323.jpg|24752025] (which dealt primarily with the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War), you would be forgiven for thinking that the Jack Lark series as a whole would be set during such war.
That's not the case.
Instead, in this, we move to an even further outpost of the British Imperial Empire: to India, to be precise, with Jack Lark impersonating a different officer than before.
I don't want to give too much away - suffice it to say that things do not always go to plan and that Jack finds himself caught up in the beginnings of the Indian Mutiny: a mutiny which, in retrospect, was no surprise given the way they were treated!
I have to say, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable 'Boys Own' style of read!
That's not the case.
Instead, in this, we move to an even further outpost of the British Imperial Empire: to India, to be precise, with Jack Lark impersonating a different officer than before.
I don't want to give too much away - suffice it to say that things do not always go to plan and that Jack finds himself caught up in the beginnings of the Indian Mutiny: a mutiny which, in retrospect, was no surprise given the way they were treated!
I have to say, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable 'Boys Own' style of read!
Barry Newman (204 KP) rated Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) in Movies
Jan 28, 2020
I've only ever seen the first F&F movie , not being particularly interested in cars and put off by the prospect of 8 movies so its fair to say I went into this with fairly low expectations. Considering I am not really up on the characters back stories (I gather there has been some beef of some sort) I actually thought this was quite good fun. Its got nothing to do with the street racing origins of the series and is now more of a poor mans Mission Impossible. Some cobblers about a virus wiping out the planet and a surgically enhanced Idris Elba shouting allot is about the gist of it. All you need to know there is some quite entertaining switch your brain off action scenes and plenty of wisecracks and banter from Statham and Johnson to keep you entertained. You know its all bollocks but you just can't help but enjoy it.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Trek: Picard in TV
Apr 27, 2020
The latest big-budget generic sci-fi series to have the Star Trek brand on it in an attempt to secure an audience. Ex-Admiral Picard meets the hot young daughter of his dead android mate and goes off to help save her twin sister with a bunch of young actors who are cheaper to employ than the ones playing his actual friends.
Not quite as mad as Discovery, and seeing the old characters again (mostly in cameos) is undeniably affecting for those of us who were there thirty years ago. But the plotting is laborious and lazy, and we seem to have lost the idea that the whole point of Star Trek is that things will improve and be different in the future: regardless of the odd ways in which this setting doesn't really match canon, this lot just act like 21st century folks in fancy dress. I'm not even going to get started on the F-bombing Starfleet Admiral or the Irish and Australian Romulans.
Not quite as mad as Discovery, and seeing the old characters again (mostly in cameos) is undeniably affecting for those of us who were there thirty years ago. But the plotting is laborious and lazy, and we seem to have lost the idea that the whole point of Star Trek is that things will improve and be different in the future: regardless of the odd ways in which this setting doesn't really match canon, this lot just act like 21st century folks in fancy dress. I'm not even going to get started on the F-bombing Starfleet Admiral or the Irish and Australian Romulans.
CT
Chance: The Science and Secrets of Luck, Randomness and Probability
Book
For you to be here today reading this requires a mind-boggling series of lucky breaks, starting with...
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Avengers - Season 1 in TV
May 20, 2021
Only three episodes of this first season are believed to exist, so it's hard to speak with great authority as to its quality - but the ones we have are brisk, efficient thrillers, as good as the videotaped Honor Blackman episodes (and possibly more coherent). This is 60-year-old TV so the production can be primitive in places, but much of the acting holds up.
Again, judging solely from the three surviving episodes, the arc of the season seems to go from fairly 'straight' stories (Girl on a Trapeze doesn't feature Steed at all) towards the kind of tongue-in-cheek, off-beat material the series is best remembered for (Tunnel of Fear is rather more extravagant, with more of a focus on Steed as an entertaining eccentric). You can almost see the producers figuring out the potential of Patrick Macnee, not that Hendry isn't completely reliable. Not the show in its iconic form, but you can see how it started heading that way very early.
Again, judging solely from the three surviving episodes, the arc of the season seems to go from fairly 'straight' stories (Girl on a Trapeze doesn't feature Steed at all) towards the kind of tongue-in-cheek, off-beat material the series is best remembered for (Tunnel of Fear is rather more extravagant, with more of a focus on Steed as an entertaining eccentric). You can almost see the producers figuring out the potential of Patrick Macnee, not that Hendry isn't completely reliable. Not the show in its iconic form, but you can see how it started heading that way very early.
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Scrumptious Independence (Merriweather Island #2) in Books
Feb 23, 2021
Next in the independence Island series…Scrumptious Independence by Melissa Wardwell! I have been looking forward to this book for months. and boy was it worth the wait. I loved her balance of character interaction with the emotions and memories she invoked in me through her characters. It truly was a fun book to read that I had a hard time putting down.
I thought Melissa Wardwell did a great job engaging not just your eyes but your memories too! From her yummy sounding recipes (that may or may not have set off a cooking spree, much to my husband’s delight), to the hints of a mystery within, added with a dash of super sweet romance between Beth and Scott… I mean what more can I say? This book is a recipe for a good clean engaging read. Well done Melissa Wardwell, now I can’t wait to see what will happen on the Merriweather Islands next
I thought Melissa Wardwell did a great job engaging not just your eyes but your memories too! From her yummy sounding recipes (that may or may not have set off a cooking spree, much to my husband’s delight), to the hints of a mystery within, added with a dash of super sweet romance between Beth and Scott… I mean what more can I say? This book is a recipe for a good clean engaging read. Well done Melissa Wardwell, now I can’t wait to see what will happen on the Merriweather Islands next
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Matched (Matched #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
2.5 stars.
I normally really like dystopia books but this dragged for me. It was very slow going and not much seemed to happen. It was mainly following Cassia around in her social life and meeting up with Ky occasionally.
The start was promising. I liked the idea of having matches and that hers was with her friend but then came the flash of Ky on her port and I was intrigued where it was going to go from there...and in a very long winded, round-about way we kind of found out.
The best bit for me was probably about 20 pages from the end when Cassia is having the conversation with the Official. Eye-opening conversation...though not enough for me to be bothered about continuing the series.
I like books with continuous action and this was so slow, it's taken me over a week to read instead of the two/three days normally.
I normally really like dystopia books but this dragged for me. It was very slow going and not much seemed to happen. It was mainly following Cassia around in her social life and meeting up with Ky occasionally.
The start was promising. I liked the idea of having matches and that hers was with her friend but then came the flash of Ky on her port and I was intrigued where it was going to go from there...and in a very long winded, round-about way we kind of found out.
The best bit for me was probably about 20 pages from the end when Cassia is having the conversation with the Official. Eye-opening conversation...though not enough for me to be bothered about continuing the series.
I like books with continuous action and this was so slow, it's taken me over a week to read instead of the two/three days normally.
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Control in Video Games
Nov 16, 2020
Creative Masterpiece
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was not expecting to enjoy playing this game as much as I have. I have played through twice in month's time. People find the story is weird and strange but I think its very creative and very good. Jesse Faden, through a series of strange encounters, becomes the director of the Fedeal Bureau of Control (FBC). They investigate out of the ordinary events and items. Jesse is the main hero and she has special telekinetic powers that help her battle the Hiss. Entities in the Astral Plane that have invaded our world through the actions of the previous director. They take over people and are drawn to Objects of Power in our world. Objects of Power are things like traffic signals, floppy discs, things that have power in certain situations. Jesse was not at the FBC to become director but to look for her brother. Great game and great story. I recommend this game to any gamer.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, #1) in Books
Sep 5, 2019
2.5 stars.
Hmm...well this started very slow and made me more aware of the fact that I'm not a fan of books that take place in mental hospitals/institutes.
It took a long time to get anywhere and I was on the verge of giving up when Faraday appeared and I started to get excited, thinking the story would pick up and get on with it. Unfortunately, we stayed in the mental hospital for another good portion of the book and we went through what synesthesia is, which I admit is very interesting, but didn't give much away with the plotline and where it was going. It was about 150 pages from the end when it started getting good and from there I more or less devoured it, only for it to turn rather sci-fi-y. I like sci-fi sometimes but not in this. I kinda felt let down.
I don't think I'll be reading the next book in the series.
Hmm...well this started very slow and made me more aware of the fact that I'm not a fan of books that take place in mental hospitals/institutes.
It took a long time to get anywhere and I was on the verge of giving up when Faraday appeared and I started to get excited, thinking the story would pick up and get on with it. Unfortunately, we stayed in the mental hospital for another good portion of the book and we went through what synesthesia is, which I admit is very interesting, but didn't give much away with the plotline and where it was going. It was about 150 pages from the end when it started getting good and from there I more or less devoured it, only for it to turn rather sci-fi-y. I like sci-fi sometimes but not in this. I kinda felt let down.
I don't think I'll be reading the next book in the series.