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Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Strange, Unusual, Gross & Cool Animals (An Animal Planet Book) in Books
Jun 18, 2018
Animal Planet: Strange, Unusual, Gross & Cool Animals by Animal Planet & Charles Gingham has a wide range of interesting things to read and learn about of animals. The book is divided in four parts, Strange, Unusual, Gross, and Cool. The book has wonderful and abundant pictures.
There are more than 200 photographs in this book that is divided into four different focuses: “Galleries” to explore a theme, “Featured Creature” to spotlight particular extraordinary animals, “Creature Collections” with groups of animals to compare and contrast, and “Macroview,” showing tiny details.
The featured animals are just amazing, and include the blobfish, the deep sea octopod, the ghost octopus, the red-lipped batfish, banded gila monster, and as you can tell by the names, a host of unusual creatures. On all of these pages, you learn astounding facts about what makes these animals so unusual.
The book includes a glossary, annotated links to find out more, and an index. I really appreciate that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of books benefits the principal partners of R.O.A.R. (Reach Out. Act. Respond) - Animal Planet’s project to help make the world a better place for animals.
I highly recommend this book for animal aficionados, both child and adult. It is a book that allows readers to learn about animals and spark interest to continue learning.
I received this book from Time Inc. Books and Animal Planet via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
There are more than 200 photographs in this book that is divided into four different focuses: “Galleries” to explore a theme, “Featured Creature” to spotlight particular extraordinary animals, “Creature Collections” with groups of animals to compare and contrast, and “Macroview,” showing tiny details.
The featured animals are just amazing, and include the blobfish, the deep sea octopod, the ghost octopus, the red-lipped batfish, banded gila monster, and as you can tell by the names, a host of unusual creatures. On all of these pages, you learn astounding facts about what makes these animals so unusual.
The book includes a glossary, annotated links to find out more, and an index. I really appreciate that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of books benefits the principal partners of R.O.A.R. (Reach Out. Act. Respond) - Animal Planet’s project to help make the world a better place for animals.
I highly recommend this book for animal aficionados, both child and adult. It is a book that allows readers to learn about animals and spark interest to continue learning.
I received this book from Time Inc. Books and Animal Planet via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Maverick (1994) in Movies
Jul 14, 2020 (Updated Jul 14, 2020)
Play Your Cards Right
Maverick- is a funny entertaining western with action, poker and adventure. Richard Donner does it once again.
The plot: This film update of the "Maverick" TV series finds the title cardsharp (Mel Gibson) hoping to join a poker contest with an impressive payoff. In order to enter, Maverick must first put up a large cash sum. He scams hopeful contestants Annabelle (Jodie Foster) and Angel (Alfred Molina) in a preliminary card game to win the money he needs, making enemies of both players. While trying to evade Annabelle and Angel, the crafty Maverick realizes a cunning marshal (James Garner) is also on his tail.
Many cameo appearances by Western film actors, country music stars and other actors. Including Danny Glover, Hal Ketchum, Corey Feldman, Read Morgan, Steve Kahan, Art LaFleur, Leo Gordon, Denver Pyle, Robert Fuller, Doug McClure, Henry Darrow, William Smith, Charles Dierkop, William Marshall, Dennis Fimple, Bert Remsen and Margot Kidder.
Danny Glover's cameo appearance references Donner's Lethal Weapon film series starring Glover and Gibson as cop partners. Their meeting in Maverick sees them share a moment of recognition, complete with Lethal Weapon music, and as he leaves, Glover says Roger Murtaugh's catchphrase: "I'm getting too old for this shit."
Country singers also cameo including Carlene Carter, Waylon Jennings, Kathy Mattea, Reba McEntire, Clint Black, Vince Gill and Janis Gill.
Its a funny entertaining western. A must watch.
The plot: This film update of the "Maverick" TV series finds the title cardsharp (Mel Gibson) hoping to join a poker contest with an impressive payoff. In order to enter, Maverick must first put up a large cash sum. He scams hopeful contestants Annabelle (Jodie Foster) and Angel (Alfred Molina) in a preliminary card game to win the money he needs, making enemies of both players. While trying to evade Annabelle and Angel, the crafty Maverick realizes a cunning marshal (James Garner) is also on his tail.
Many cameo appearances by Western film actors, country music stars and other actors. Including Danny Glover, Hal Ketchum, Corey Feldman, Read Morgan, Steve Kahan, Art LaFleur, Leo Gordon, Denver Pyle, Robert Fuller, Doug McClure, Henry Darrow, William Smith, Charles Dierkop, William Marshall, Dennis Fimple, Bert Remsen and Margot Kidder.
Danny Glover's cameo appearance references Donner's Lethal Weapon film series starring Glover and Gibson as cop partners. Their meeting in Maverick sees them share a moment of recognition, complete with Lethal Weapon music, and as he leaves, Glover says Roger Murtaugh's catchphrase: "I'm getting too old for this shit."
Country singers also cameo including Carlene Carter, Waylon Jennings, Kathy Mattea, Reba McEntire, Clint Black, Vince Gill and Janis Gill.
Its a funny entertaining western. A must watch.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Double Dragons (Dragons of New York #1) in Books
May 21, 2020
They're hot as fire, and if you mess with their mate, you're bound to get burned.
Draven and Ran are dragon shifters, the fire-breathing enforcers of the shifter world. The ones they call when things go wrong. Strong, sexy and wealthy, the only thing the two partners are missing is a mate to share it all with. But that's tricky in the dragon world and after years of searching, the dragons have basically given up. That is, until a sexy, reckless human librarian lands in their path during a mission.
Melissa knows she would have been in hot water had the two handsome, powerful and mysterious men not showed up to save her butt from a group of violent men. Still, when her rescuers take her back to their New York loft, she's confronted by a mystery she never expected. Dragons and other shapeshifting creatures exist. And these dragons are definitely hotblooded.
But as the sexy dragons show Melissa all the perks of being their mate, Melissa is also uncovering the dangerous secrets of the dragon world. If she isn't willing to risk everything, their chances at a happily ever after might just go up in flames.
For a short story it wasn’t too bad at all! Terry Bolryder definitely has a style that is easy to read and also enjoyable! The sex scenes were written well and learning about the dragons is interesting. Recommended if you enjoy a fast paced shifter book.
Draven and Ran are dragon shifters, the fire-breathing enforcers of the shifter world. The ones they call when things go wrong. Strong, sexy and wealthy, the only thing the two partners are missing is a mate to share it all with. But that's tricky in the dragon world and after years of searching, the dragons have basically given up. That is, until a sexy, reckless human librarian lands in their path during a mission.
Melissa knows she would have been in hot water had the two handsome, powerful and mysterious men not showed up to save her butt from a group of violent men. Still, when her rescuers take her back to their New York loft, she's confronted by a mystery she never expected. Dragons and other shapeshifting creatures exist. And these dragons are definitely hotblooded.
But as the sexy dragons show Melissa all the perks of being their mate, Melissa is also uncovering the dangerous secrets of the dragon world. If she isn't willing to risk everything, their chances at a happily ever after might just go up in flames.
For a short story it wasn’t too bad at all! Terry Bolryder definitely has a style that is easy to read and also enjoyable! The sex scenes were written well and learning about the dragons is interesting. Recommended if you enjoy a fast paced shifter book.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Apr 25, 2022 (Updated Apr 25, 2022)
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Luck of the Draw in Books
Jul 24, 2023
LUCK OF THE DRAW is a light fantasy novella about warring kingdoms and arranged marriages to help seal the peace treaty. Obren is happy with male or female partners, but when he finds out who he is to marry, he has reservations. After all, he did kill the prince's previous partner on the battlefield! But it was war and maybe Dukan has his own secrets.
This was a great read that I read in one sitting. The characters were well-fleshed out given it was a novella, and the world-building made complete sense. I was happy with how the arranged marriages worked out as no one felt forced apart from the situation. Obren and Dukan, obviously, were my favourites and I loved the interplay between them as they took the time to learn about each other.
I would love to return to this world and learn more about the marriages and the kingdoms they live in. And if we managed to catch up with Obren and Dukan, then so much the better!
A brilliant novella that I thoroughly enjoyed, although I would have obviously loved it to be longer! A great read and definitely 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!
Jul 24, 2023
This was a great read that I read in one sitting. The characters were well-fleshed out given it was a novella, and the world-building made complete sense. I was happy with how the arranged marriages worked out as no one felt forced apart from the situation. Obren and Dukan, obviously, were my favourites and I loved the interplay between them as they took the time to learn about each other.
I would love to return to this world and learn more about the marriages and the kingdoms they live in. And if we managed to catch up with Obren and Dukan, then so much the better!
A brilliant novella that I thoroughly enjoyed, although I would have obviously loved it to be longer! A great read and definitely 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!
Jul 24, 2023
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Freeing his Mate: A Howls Romance (Shifter World: Shifter Affairs #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2018
Freeing his Mate: A Howls Romance (Shifter World: Shifter Affairs #1) by Nancy Corrigan
Freeing His Mate is the first book in the Shifter Affairs series, and it is set in the same world as the Royal Kagan series. That being said, this review is for this book alone. And what a book it is! You have an 'old' wolf, depressed and contemplating suicide. He meets a waitress who perks his interest, only to find out that she is bonded unwillingly to somebody else as his breeding partner. Throw in an old murder, drugs rampaging through a town, assassins, new partners, cute kids, and you have a book that will keep you engrossed from start to finish.
Whilst this is the first book in the new series, we do reunite with some old favourites of mine from the Royal Kagan series. These appearances enhance this story without taking it over, giving it a depth and a richness. There are new characters to grow fond of, and wait impatiently for their story. A perfect combination of new and old, guaranteed to satisfy.
This story was exceedingly well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. The scenes flowed smoothly from one to the next, and the pacing was perfect. An absolute stunner of a first book, that will definitely leave you wanting more. Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Whilst this is the first book in the new series, we do reunite with some old favourites of mine from the Royal Kagan series. These appearances enhance this story without taking it over, giving it a depth and a richness. There are new characters to grow fond of, and wait impatiently for their story. A perfect combination of new and old, guaranteed to satisfy.
This story was exceedingly well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. The scenes flowed smoothly from one to the next, and the pacing was perfect. An absolute stunner of a first book, that will definitely leave you wanting more. Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Downton Tabby in Books
Mar 29, 2019
Dead Body and a Tabby’s Missing Owner
Pet therapist Caro Lamont is spending this morning in her office working on some paperwork, which is why, when Graham Cash asks her to watch his tabby cat, Toria, for a little while, she readily agrees. Cash and his business partner, Jake, have rented an office for their very successful app making business in the building that Caro uses, and Caro has enjoyed getting to know them both.
When Cash doesn’t return in the agreed upon time, Caro begins to get worried. After all, she has afternoon appointments. She decides to take Toria to the house that the business partners share. However, when she arrives, she finds no sign of Cash and Jake’s dead body floating in their pool. What happened to Jake? Is Cash okay? Or is he the killer?
There is plenty happened here, including a visit by Caro’s ex-husband, so the pages fly by. Unfortunately, all the events mean that the mystery could have been a bit stronger. Still, it had some fun twists and surprises before reaching the logical conclusion. The real star here are the characters, both two and four legged. The pets will charm you, and the humans will entertain you. Some are more realistic and help draw you into the story. Others are so over the top that you are certain to laugh. Yet they are perfectly balanced and feel natural interacting with each other. This series is always a light, fun treat, and this entry is no exception.
When Cash doesn’t return in the agreed upon time, Caro begins to get worried. After all, she has afternoon appointments. She decides to take Toria to the house that the business partners share. However, when she arrives, she finds no sign of Cash and Jake’s dead body floating in their pool. What happened to Jake? Is Cash okay? Or is he the killer?
There is plenty happened here, including a visit by Caro’s ex-husband, so the pages fly by. Unfortunately, all the events mean that the mystery could have been a bit stronger. Still, it had some fun twists and surprises before reaching the logical conclusion. The real star here are the characters, both two and four legged. The pets will charm you, and the humans will entertain you. Some are more realistic and help draw you into the story. Others are so over the top that you are certain to laugh. Yet they are perfectly balanced and feel natural interacting with each other. This series is always a light, fun treat, and this entry is no exception.
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Molly's Game (2017) in Movies
Jan 17, 2018
Either you are in or you are out
The true story of Molly Bloom who was an Olympic class skier who ended got injured which ended her career. She moved to California cause she wanted to spread her wings and ended up working as a bottle hostess and then working for a real estate company whose owner got her controlling his high stakes poker game filled with stars and clebs. Once she got the hang of it and was threatened of being fired she spread her wings even more and branched out her own game to only get her self into the life of high stakes poker (which she only ran the games) and drugs. She ended up having Russian mob attendees in which the FBI claimed she did money laundering but, she denies that and Italian mob personal who just wanted to be "partners." Once she found out she was in way too deep she got out only to be implicated by certain other players in her circle who claimed they were forced into the game when they came under indictment for their own troubles. After two years of not running the game she is picked up by the FBI and is being charged with a slew of charges. Will she rat everyone out or will she keep their secret.
If you don't known the story first look her up on wiki and read about her and her father first cause that plays a lot in the movie.
If you don't known the story first look her up on wiki and read about her and her father first cause that plays a lot in the movie.
Merissa (11800 KP) rated Reckless (Yoga in the City #2) in Books
Oct 17, 2018
Reckless (Yoga in the City #2) by Leigh LaValle
Reckless is the second book in the Yoga in the City series, and this time we focus on Crystal Ananda, one of the partners of the Yoga Studio. She is the one that is always dependable, even if she really doesn't actually want to do it! The reasons for this become clear as the story progresses. And then we have Ford, the workaholic CEO who doesn't spare anyone's feelings in his quest to get the family business back on track. Both their stories - wildly opposite at the start, actually start to show parallels - and Crystal and Ford find something they both want to last.
This was a pleasant story, with laugh out loud moments, and lots of quirkiness (usually on Crystal's side of the family) thrown in for good measure. Crystal is too often see as just a pretty thing, blonde bimbo, type of character, so it was wonderful to see the author turn this on it's head (where needed) and give Crystal her own strengths. Together with Ford, they make a strong team.
With no editing or grammatical errors, this book was a smooth read, with plenty of emotions coming through. The story flowed from one scene to the next, and we even caught up with Hannah and Jake from Breathless. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This was a pleasant story, with laugh out loud moments, and lots of quirkiness (usually on Crystal's side of the family) thrown in for good measure. Crystal is too often see as just a pretty thing, blonde bimbo, type of character, so it was wonderful to see the author turn this on it's head (where needed) and give Crystal her own strengths. Together with Ford, they make a strong team.
With no editing or grammatical errors, this book was a smooth read, with plenty of emotions coming through. The story flowed from one scene to the next, and we even caught up with Hannah and Jake from Breathless. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Truth or Die (D.S. Imogen Grey, #5) in Books
Jul 31, 2019 (Updated Jul 31, 2019)
Book #5 of DS Imogen Grey series
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Truth or Die is the 5th book in the D.S. Imogen Grey series by Katerina Diamond. I did not realize it was part of a series until I was finished reading it. Reading the earlier books may help with understanding the characters and their behavior better, but it is not necessary. This book can stand alone.
DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles are partners who are very close in work and out. There is an attraction between them which is a storyline throughout the book and, according to reviewers on Goodreads, has been a slow-building theme woven throughout the entire series. However, the main storyline is the case they are investigating, the brutal murder of a college professor.
The cover has a warning indicating this is not for the faint-hearted. This is a fast-paced police procedural novel that is also a violent, dark, and graphic read. These scenes are not part of the book for mere shock value. They enhance the story and our understanding of the killer's thoughts and actions.
A 6th book is not listed on Goodreads, but I will be looking for it. In the meantime, I do plan to read the series from the beginning.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/30/19.
Truth or Die is the 5th book in the D.S. Imogen Grey series by Katerina Diamond. I did not realize it was part of a series until I was finished reading it. Reading the earlier books may help with understanding the characters and their behavior better, but it is not necessary. This book can stand alone.
DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles are partners who are very close in work and out. There is an attraction between them which is a storyline throughout the book and, according to reviewers on Goodreads, has been a slow-building theme woven throughout the entire series. However, the main storyline is the case they are investigating, the brutal murder of a college professor.
The cover has a warning indicating this is not for the faint-hearted. This is a fast-paced police procedural novel that is also a violent, dark, and graphic read. These scenes are not part of the book for mere shock value. They enhance the story and our understanding of the killer's thoughts and actions.
A 6th book is not listed on Goodreads, but I will be looking for it. In the meantime, I do plan to read the series from the beginning.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/30/19.