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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Killer Research in Books
Nov 3, 2021
Murder Complicates Elections
The election for mayor is six months away, but the politics is already heating up. Mayor Hensen is upset that Ms. Cole is running against him, and he’s making life difficult for Lindsey Norris and the rest of the library staff. Then, Ms. Cole finds a dead body in her trunk. When her connection to the victim comes to light, the mayor uses everything he can to drive Ms. Cole out of the library and out of the race. Can Lindsey figure out what is happening before Ms. Cole’s reputation is ruined?
I love it when background characters get time to shine, and I’ve enjoyed watching Ms. Cole go from a one note character to a fully developed character over the last few books. That continues here. The rest of the cast is just as fantastic, and I loved seeing them again. The plot is strong with plenty to keep me engaged as I read. The climax was a bit theatrical, but it was also fun, so I’m willing to let it go. Speaking of fun, I laughed multiple times over the course of the book. We’ve got the usual book discussion, craft, and recipe extras at the end. Fans will enjoy this book, and if you are new to the series, be sure to check it out.
I love it when background characters get time to shine, and I’ve enjoyed watching Ms. Cole go from a one note character to a fully developed character over the last few books. That continues here. The rest of the cast is just as fantastic, and I loved seeing them again. The plot is strong with plenty to keep me engaged as I read. The climax was a bit theatrical, but it was also fun, so I’m willing to let it go. Speaking of fun, I laughed multiple times over the course of the book. We’ve got the usual book discussion, craft, and recipe extras at the end. Fans will enjoy this book, and if you are new to the series, be sure to check it out.
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Paul Kellett (118 KP) rated This War of Mine: The Board Game in Tabletop Games
May 27, 2019
Very immersive experience (4 more)
Great solo game
Stands out as a piece of art
Great teaching tool
Great storytelling game
Brutally hard (1 more)
Adult and disturbing depictions of war
Brutal Survival game
This War of Mine is a game of civilians struggling to survive in the middle of a war. It is harsh, brutal and contains scenes that some players might find distressing.
It is gritty, realistic and very hard. It's a remarkable game that really makes you think and can stand as a piece of art, capable of teaching about the harsh realities of war and humanity.
You play as a group of 3 (or 4) civilians trying to survive. You have to rebuild your shelter to try and barricade against the cold and other raiding groups.
A fully cooperative game, no player controls a single character but takes turns deciding what the group will do and resolving situations.
Split into phases, you spend the day building up your shelter, adding beds, workshops and other items that might ease your struggles.
You will try different combinations of things to try and work out the most efficient and vital components to build first. Depending on the whim of the various encounter and event cards as to how well these things will work.
The night phase is the main part of the game. You need to send people out to scavenge the nearby ruined buildings, post a guard to protect your shelter and try to get some rest. This is a fine balancing act and you will be forced to push the survivors to breaking point in order to do any of these things.
Scavenging brings danger from snipers, soldiers and other aggressive survivors trying to defend their property.
You pick one of 3 locations to investigate and build an encounter deck. As you explore, you reveal cards, find valuable resources, food, medicine, bandages, weapons and parts crucial to building better items in your shelter.
While scavenging, you will be told to reference numbered paragraphs in the Book of Scripts. This tells the story of what and who you find and it is this that brings home the grim reality of what you are doing.
You will have to make some terrible decisions - do you return home empty handed and risk one of your group dying from hunger or illness or do you steal the supplies you need from the old couple you found hiding in the ruined apartment?
This game is definitely not for everyone but I firmly believe that everyone should experience it at least once.
I borrowed a copy from someone in my game group and played a couple of short games before handing it back but I found myself thinking about it a lot afterwards and ended up buying it myself.
This War of Mine is definitely much more than just a boardgame. It is art. It is a lesson in humanity and the harsh reality of war.
It is gritty, realistic and very hard. It's a remarkable game that really makes you think and can stand as a piece of art, capable of teaching about the harsh realities of war and humanity.
You play as a group of 3 (or 4) civilians trying to survive. You have to rebuild your shelter to try and barricade against the cold and other raiding groups.
A fully cooperative game, no player controls a single character but takes turns deciding what the group will do and resolving situations.
Split into phases, you spend the day building up your shelter, adding beds, workshops and other items that might ease your struggles.
You will try different combinations of things to try and work out the most efficient and vital components to build first. Depending on the whim of the various encounter and event cards as to how well these things will work.
The night phase is the main part of the game. You need to send people out to scavenge the nearby ruined buildings, post a guard to protect your shelter and try to get some rest. This is a fine balancing act and you will be forced to push the survivors to breaking point in order to do any of these things.
Scavenging brings danger from snipers, soldiers and other aggressive survivors trying to defend their property.
You pick one of 3 locations to investigate and build an encounter deck. As you explore, you reveal cards, find valuable resources, food, medicine, bandages, weapons and parts crucial to building better items in your shelter.
While scavenging, you will be told to reference numbered paragraphs in the Book of Scripts. This tells the story of what and who you find and it is this that brings home the grim reality of what you are doing.
You will have to make some terrible decisions - do you return home empty handed and risk one of your group dying from hunger or illness or do you steal the supplies you need from the old couple you found hiding in the ruined apartment?
This game is definitely not for everyone but I firmly believe that everyone should experience it at least once.
I borrowed a copy from someone in my game group and played a couple of short games before handing it back but I found myself thinking about it a lot afterwards and ended up buying it myself.
This War of Mine is definitely much more than just a boardgame. It is art. It is a lesson in humanity and the harsh reality of war.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Wine, Tarts, & Sex in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I knew I wouldn't like this novel when the lead couple was an ex-super model and a chef. Or maybe it was that sex was actually in the title of the novel. Or maybe it was because it lacked any form of romance or fantasy which was not made up for with the ridiculous sex scenes.
And ridiculous they were.
I say it once; I will say it a thousand times. When the man calls the woman "baby", the book should be burned. It's not sexy; it's trashy and annoying, especially when they don't even know each other. Now, I do love when my boyfriend calls me baby. But when you an erection on legs going after the hottest piece of tale near?
That was the first thing that ruined this book for me. Apparently the leads were just so horny that they jumped the first attractive opposite sex they met. And it was the greatest sex they have ever had. So much so, that they become addicted to having a sex with each other. I guess that must be the recipe for love because that's what ended up happening.
The other thing that annoyed me was the characters' bipolar behavior. One minute they were having delicious great sex, the next she was trying to kick him out. I feel like I may have massively missed something, like a few pages, because I was so confused by the change, I still have whiplash.
And ridiculous they were.
I say it once; I will say it a thousand times. When the man calls the woman "baby", the book should be burned. It's not sexy; it's trashy and annoying, especially when they don't even know each other. Now, I do love when my boyfriend calls me baby. But when you an erection on legs going after the hottest piece of tale near?
That was the first thing that ruined this book for me. Apparently the leads were just so horny that they jumped the first attractive opposite sex they met. And it was the greatest sex they have ever had. So much so, that they become addicted to having a sex with each other. I guess that must be the recipe for love because that's what ended up happening.
The other thing that annoyed me was the characters' bipolar behavior. One minute they were having delicious great sex, the next she was trying to kick him out. I feel like I may have massively missed something, like a few pages, because I was so confused by the change, I still have whiplash.
Jo (37 KP) rated Honestly Ben in Books
Oct 6, 2018
I really liked Ben in Openly Straight, but being inside his head, here, kinda ruined him for me. He was just all over the damn place - whiny and tightly wound and infuriatingly obsessed with what other people think of him - and, like, what the hell happened to the quietly confident guy that Rafe and I grew attached to the previous semester? The dude who had not one flying fuck to give about labels or peer opinion??? I couldn't align these two sides of him up at all.
Also, Rafe didn't get nearly enough page space, and because of that, my belief in their intense connection took something of a nosedive.
Way too much attention was given to Ben's dipshit teammates and to Hannah...
Now, I actually quite liked Hannah. But I did not like the fact her only purpose to the plot was as an obstacle between Ben and Rafe. She opened herself up to Ben, let him in at a particularly vulnerable and difficult point of her life, and the way he used and hurt her (however unintentionally it may have been) for the sake of sorting his own head out totally peed me off!
There's a lot of D-Rep here, which was great (although, I didn't feel like much of it was particularly well handled).
In all honesty, it was entirely Toby and Albie who saved this book for me. Love those oddballs!
Also, Rafe didn't get nearly enough page space, and because of that, my belief in their intense connection took something of a nosedive.
Way too much attention was given to Ben's dipshit teammates and to Hannah...
Now, I actually quite liked Hannah. But I did not like the fact her only purpose to the plot was as an obstacle between Ben and Rafe. She opened herself up to Ben, let him in at a particularly vulnerable and difficult point of her life, and the way he used and hurt her (however unintentionally it may have been) for the sake of sorting his own head out totally peed me off!
There's a lot of D-Rep here, which was great (although, I didn't feel like much of it was particularly well handled).
In all honesty, it was entirely Toby and Albie who saved this book for me. Love those oddballs!
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Even If I Fall in Books
Jan 23, 2019
Stand alone YA novel that focuses on how family members are affected by one person's crime
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
In "Even If I Fall" by Abigail Johnson, Brooke's life is destroyed when her beloved brother confesses to killing his best friend, Calvin. Beginning about a year after the confession, the story focuses on Brooke, her family, and the struggles they have while trying continue with their lives.Brooke can not talk to her family so, because of a rainy day and a broken drown truck, she finds the one person she can talk to and who will understand, Calvin's brother.
I work in the criminal justice system and have seen how families are affected by one person's crime. They often can not talk to other family members because they are hurting just as much. One case sticks out among all of the others I have seen. At the beginning of the trial, two grandmothers, the defendant's and the victim's, sat as far away as possible from each other. By the end of the trial, when the verdict was read, they held each other up for support and said, "No one wins. Two young men's lives are ruined". The grandmothers left the courtroom still holding each other.
I have added both of Johnson's other book to my want to read list.
In "Even If I Fall" by Abigail Johnson, Brooke's life is destroyed when her beloved brother confesses to killing his best friend, Calvin. Beginning about a year after the confession, the story focuses on Brooke, her family, and the struggles they have while trying continue with their lives.Brooke can not talk to her family so, because of a rainy day and a broken drown truck, she finds the one person she can talk to and who will understand, Calvin's brother.
I work in the criminal justice system and have seen how families are affected by one person's crime. They often can not talk to other family members because they are hurting just as much. One case sticks out among all of the others I have seen. At the beginning of the trial, two grandmothers, the defendant's and the victim's, sat as far away as possible from each other. By the end of the trial, when the verdict was read, they held each other up for support and said, "No one wins. Two young men's lives are ruined". The grandmothers left the courtroom still holding each other.
I have added both of Johnson's other book to my want to read list.