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Sam (74 KP) rated The Keeper Of Lost Things in Books
Mar 27, 2019
So to begin with I struggled with this one. Even though it only had 300 pages, it seemed to be taking a while for anything to happen with the plot. But I’m glad I didn’t give in. It did take until around page 150 for me to get into it, but after that point it was brilliant.
Laura is a brilliant protagonist. She’s got all of her own problems and is then left with the complicated mystery of Anthony’s life. But she never dwells on the past too much. She moves on from everything that has happened and lives in the moment.
I loved Sunshine. She’s such an enthusiastic character and she seemed to be the only one who could see the truth in everything that was going off. Sunshine had Down’s Syndrome and she saw a friend in Laura. She made the perfect friend and was such a lovely person with some of the best ideas. It was so refreshing to find a character like her.
I would happily just read a book of all the short stories that came with every lost item. I found most of them gripping, and quite a lot of them dealt with quite serious subjects. They were like little windows into people’s lives and I found them really compelling.
The Keeper of Lost Things is a brilliant little book and worth picking up.
Laura is a brilliant protagonist. She’s got all of her own problems and is then left with the complicated mystery of Anthony’s life. But she never dwells on the past too much. She moves on from everything that has happened and lives in the moment.
I loved Sunshine. She’s such an enthusiastic character and she seemed to be the only one who could see the truth in everything that was going off. Sunshine had Down’s Syndrome and she saw a friend in Laura. She made the perfect friend and was such a lovely person with some of the best ideas. It was so refreshing to find a character like her.
I would happily just read a book of all the short stories that came with every lost item. I found most of them gripping, and quite a lot of them dealt with quite serious subjects. They were like little windows into people’s lives and I found them really compelling.
The Keeper of Lost Things is a brilliant little book and worth picking up.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Shakespeare Saved My Life in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Dr. Laura Bates is an English professor at Indiana State University. She is given to opportunity to teach inmates in Indiana's Correctional System. She decides that she is going to teach them Shakespeare. She was discouraged by others thinking that Shakespeare would be too much for inmates to handle.
Dr. Bates was surprised at how well the inmates were able to, not only understand the material, but also apply it to their own lives. One inmate in particular, Larry Newton, took the material and really changed(saved) his life. Larry was really able to relate to Shakespeare's works, especially MacBeth. He used the material to look back on the choices and decisions he had made and was able to better understand the right choices to make.
When I saw this book as part of the Big Library Read, I was very excited. It seemed like an interesting book that would hold my attention. These days, I tend to do a lot of reading before bed. Even though the chapters were no more than a few pages long, I fell asleep frequently. I thought I would have been able to finish this book in a week because the subject matter was so interesting. But, I felt as though it continued to go over the same thing. I enjoyed the subject matter, but I thought I would be a little more engaged.
Dr. Bates was surprised at how well the inmates were able to, not only understand the material, but also apply it to their own lives. One inmate in particular, Larry Newton, took the material and really changed(saved) his life. Larry was really able to relate to Shakespeare's works, especially MacBeth. He used the material to look back on the choices and decisions he had made and was able to better understand the right choices to make.
When I saw this book as part of the Big Library Read, I was very excited. It seemed like an interesting book that would hold my attention. These days, I tend to do a lot of reading before bed. Even though the chapters were no more than a few pages long, I fell asleep frequently. I thought I would have been able to finish this book in a week because the subject matter was so interesting. But, I felt as though it continued to go over the same thing. I enjoyed the subject matter, but I thought I would be a little more engaged.
Peter Shephard (2822 KP) rated Call to Adventure in Tabletop Games
Jun 4, 2019
Different, in a very good way
This is unlike any game I have played before. It is totally possible to create a whole life story in one game, and with a little leap of imagination, the created character could be the Big Bad (or Main Support) for just about any fantasy role playing game.
The game uses a standard format for abilities (strength etc) but "casting runes" instead of rolling dice is quick to work out and able to be done quickly.
Having set "story points" which you need to advance your story, but being able to decide whether you take the positive/noble, or negative/shady path gradually builds to give a really developed character.
From one of the games I played, I was an acolyte; I went to war, but was greatly disillusioned by what I saw, so ended up leaving the faith and joining with the thieves. I encountered a childhood sweetheart, and we stayed together for ages. Finally, during my battle with a demon, to complete my return to favour with the diety I had abandoned, my sweetheart was murdered by the demons followers. Although I succeeded, it was at a huge cost....
This was all determined from the cards played; it's very varied and really well thought out.
Highly, highly recommended
The game uses a standard format for abilities (strength etc) but "casting runes" instead of rolling dice is quick to work out and able to be done quickly.
Having set "story points" which you need to advance your story, but being able to decide whether you take the positive/noble, or negative/shady path gradually builds to give a really developed character.
From one of the games I played, I was an acolyte; I went to war, but was greatly disillusioned by what I saw, so ended up leaving the faith and joining with the thieves. I encountered a childhood sweetheart, and we stayed together for ages. Finally, during my battle with a demon, to complete my return to favour with the diety I had abandoned, my sweetheart was murdered by the demons followers. Although I succeeded, it was at a huge cost....
This was all determined from the cards played; it's very varied and really well thought out.
Highly, highly recommended
Saerie_Faerie (18 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
Feb 24, 2018
African culture (3 more)
Feminist
Story/plot
Actors
Everything I wanted
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie is so important, in the nerd culture community and in the societal human community at large especially for America. An entire movie about African life and culture, celebrating and showing and teaching those things unapologetically. An entire movie that is not specifically for teaching anecdotally about African culture but was a movie for something else that saw that there was the opportunity to take it and force it to also be so importantly about the culture behind the superhero.
On top of the wonderful culture, we get amazingly Badass feminist Black women. They take care of themselves, they fight, they run the science department for the entire country, they save themselves, they go out and save the world, they stand up against stupid decisions. Just absolutely amazing.
You also, of course, get all of the amazing superhero moments. Action-packed for the right amount, the plot makes sense and is followable. A twist that is amazing and once you see it you see all of the lead up to it, which is so absolutely wonderful, it doesn't just appear out of nowhere.
I walked out wanting to immediately buy the dvd and watch it again and that was over a week ago. Absolutely stunning and everyone should go see it and fully absorb it and the message it gives.
On top of the wonderful culture, we get amazingly Badass feminist Black women. They take care of themselves, they fight, they run the science department for the entire country, they save themselves, they go out and save the world, they stand up against stupid decisions. Just absolutely amazing.
You also, of course, get all of the amazing superhero moments. Action-packed for the right amount, the plot makes sense and is followable. A twist that is amazing and once you see it you see all of the lead up to it, which is so absolutely wonderful, it doesn't just appear out of nowhere.
I walked out wanting to immediately buy the dvd and watch it again and that was over a week ago. Absolutely stunning and everyone should go see it and fully absorb it and the message it gives.
Kelli Curran (5 KP) rated Encino Man (1992) in Movies
Jun 9, 2018
Buried 'treasure'. (2 more)
Pauly Shore singing 'shoofly don't bother me.'
RAD MOBILE!!!
Why can't all cavemen look like that?
Contains spoilers, click to show
I saw this movie for the first time when I was about ten years old. I was really into dinosaurs at the time and the idea of digging up a caveman in my backyard thrilled me about as much as finding One Eyed Willie. There is something innocently fun about movies made in the 80s and as silly as the plotline for this one is, the movie is still my absolute favorite.
Two nerdy, loner, high school seniors decide to dig a pool in one of their backyards in hopes of throwing a big party after prom and landing the most popular girl in school. What they didn't expect was to come across a caveman frozen inside a solid mass of ice who they thaw out using space heaters in their garage. After coming home to find their house trashed, they come face to face with a very not dead 1,000,000 year old man ... Or teenager. Makeover montage ensues, giving us the newly minted (not so missing) 'Link'. Boys take Link to school, Link wins over everyone, boys remain unpopular.
This movie is worth watching at least once just to see Pauly wheeze the juice and Brendan dance around like a crazy person.
Two nerdy, loner, high school seniors decide to dig a pool in one of their backyards in hopes of throwing a big party after prom and landing the most popular girl in school. What they didn't expect was to come across a caveman frozen inside a solid mass of ice who they thaw out using space heaters in their garage. After coming home to find their house trashed, they come face to face with a very not dead 1,000,000 year old man ... Or teenager. Makeover montage ensues, giving us the newly minted (not so missing) 'Link'. Boys take Link to school, Link wins over everyone, boys remain unpopular.
This movie is worth watching at least once just to see Pauly wheeze the juice and Brendan dance around like a crazy person.
Debbiereadsbook (1727 KP) rated Beloved Lives in Books
May 28, 2018
doesn't quite work for me
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
And I gotta be honest here, it was very touch and go whether I would actually finish this!
The story tells of April, and Mitch and Weston. April only has her say here, and I would probably have enjoyed in more if the guys had had a say.
April and Winston have history, ancient history. And through time, they have, according to Weston, found each other and lived long and happy lives. But something doesn't ring true for April and she uses Mitch skill at hypnotherapy and past life regression to finally get some answers.
Like I said, touch and go for a while. I got way past half way, and I still wasn't able to figure out what was going on, and where this was going. But I kept at it, hoping it would make sense at some point. It did, but only once it was all revealed in the book.
It's not overly explicit, but there is some violence when they talk about how it all began. It's well written and I saw no editing or spelling errors.
It just didn't work for me.
But for a first time author, well done.
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
And I gotta be honest here, it was very touch and go whether I would actually finish this!
The story tells of April, and Mitch and Weston. April only has her say here, and I would probably have enjoyed in more if the guys had had a say.
April and Winston have history, ancient history. And through time, they have, according to Weston, found each other and lived long and happy lives. But something doesn't ring true for April and she uses Mitch skill at hypnotherapy and past life regression to finally get some answers.
Like I said, touch and go for a while. I got way past half way, and I still wasn't able to figure out what was going on, and where this was going. But I kept at it, hoping it would make sense at some point. It did, but only once it was all revealed in the book.
It's not overly explicit, but there is some violence when they talk about how it all began. It's well written and I saw no editing or spelling errors.
It just didn't work for me.
But for a first time author, well done.
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Furyborn: Empirium Trilogy Book 1 in Books
Jul 10, 2018
When I saw this book on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. The description grabbed me & it sounded like a book that I would fall in love with. Once I finally found time to read the book it grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, I wound out of time to physically read the book so I ended up buying the audiobook. When I first listened to the narrator's voice I was hesitant but by the end I loved it. Fiona Hardingham (Narrator)just added a little bit more to the story. I was so glad that I switched to audiobook that I think it added a half star to my rating.
My rating would be a 4.5 but since I cannot do a half star I'm going to round up to 5. The plot was fascinating and I loved all of the characters that I read. This book was jam packed with action, swoon worthy heroes, and some really powerful women. I loved that Rielle & Eliana had their flaws and I loved that we got to know them on a fundemental level. It was fun to see the growth in them.
All in all, I really liked this story. I probably wouldn't consider it young adult though. I think it belongs in the adult fantasy section.
My rating would be a 4.5 but since I cannot do a half star I'm going to round up to 5. The plot was fascinating and I loved all of the characters that I read. This book was jam packed with action, swoon worthy heroes, and some really powerful women. I loved that Rielle & Eliana had their flaws and I loved that we got to know them on a fundemental level. It was fun to see the growth in them.
All in all, I really liked this story. I probably wouldn't consider it young adult though. I think it belongs in the adult fantasy section.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel in Books
Jul 12, 2018
I received this Graphic Novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have been meaning to read Anne of Green Gables for years upon years. About a month ago I picked up the audiobook and decided to listen/read it. I really enjoyed the story. It was so beautiful in it's simplicity. When I saw there was a graphic novel on netgalley, I immediately had to download it and read it.
The artwork in this book is spectacular. It's beautifully done and just transports you to the lake of shining waters and makes you feel almost as if you're there with Anne enjoying the day. I loved how simplistic the story was and how placing into a graphic novel just seemed to work. The artwork is simplistic yet complex in its variety of colors and beauty.
With reading the book just a few weeks ago, I did notice a bit of the story missing or redone which is completely understandable. You can't fit everything in all the time. I mention this solely for those kids who might decide to read this instead of the book for school.
All in all, this graphic novel expertly shows you the simplicity of the story and enhances it with the beautiful artwork. If you love Anne of Green Gables, I highly recommend taking a look at this. It's spectacular!
I have been meaning to read Anne of Green Gables for years upon years. About a month ago I picked up the audiobook and decided to listen/read it. I really enjoyed the story. It was so beautiful in it's simplicity. When I saw there was a graphic novel on netgalley, I immediately had to download it and read it.
The artwork in this book is spectacular. It's beautifully done and just transports you to the lake of shining waters and makes you feel almost as if you're there with Anne enjoying the day. I loved how simplistic the story was and how placing into a graphic novel just seemed to work. The artwork is simplistic yet complex in its variety of colors and beauty.
With reading the book just a few weeks ago, I did notice a bit of the story missing or redone which is completely understandable. You can't fit everything in all the time. I mention this solely for those kids who might decide to read this instead of the book for school.
All in all, this graphic novel expertly shows you the simplicity of the story and enhances it with the beautiful artwork. If you love Anne of Green Gables, I highly recommend taking a look at this. It's spectacular!
Louise (64 KP) rated Sometimes I Lie in Books
Jul 2, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review*
This book must have one of the shortest blurbs but one of the most intriguing, When I saw this book I instantly knew that I wanted to read it, there so much mystery in that blurb – I wanted to know why she was in a coma, why her husband didn’t love and what she lied about and if these lies were the reasons she was in a coma.
For a debut novel this absolutely fantastic, very absorbing, gripping and has you on the edge of your seat the whole way through, I truly am excited to see what this very talented writer is going to come up with next.
I am not going to write anything about the story as i think it will take some of the allure away. All you need to know is that you will be trying to second guess what is going and trying to reveal the truth. There are so many twists and turns in this book,if you are anything like me when I got to the plot twist I had to read it a few times to get my head round it.
This novel was dark,gritty and a great mystery/thriller novel.
This book must have one of the shortest blurbs but one of the most intriguing, When I saw this book I instantly knew that I wanted to read it, there so much mystery in that blurb – I wanted to know why she was in a coma, why her husband didn’t love and what she lied about and if these lies were the reasons she was in a coma.
For a debut novel this absolutely fantastic, very absorbing, gripping and has you on the edge of your seat the whole way through, I truly am excited to see what this very talented writer is going to come up with next.
I am not going to write anything about the story as i think it will take some of the allure away. All you need to know is that you will be trying to second guess what is going and trying to reveal the truth. There are so many twists and turns in this book,if you are anything like me when I got to the plot twist I had to read it a few times to get my head round it.
This novel was dark,gritty and a great mystery/thriller novel.
Lesley (60 KP) rated Rust & Stardust in Books
Aug 9, 2018
Stellar book!
Thank you so much to Goodreads and T. Greenwood, I was a lucky giveaway winner. I have never read any of Greenwood's books, and I read this voluntarily.
Firstly, this book was absolutely beautiful in the face of a terribly ugly subject matter. For once, the blurbs on the book cover were extremely accurate. I do wish I hadn't Googled the real Sally Horner case when I was 90% done with the book, thinking that everything that was gonna happen had already happened. Don't do that. But even having done that, I sat through the last 10% blubbering in public. I was crying on and off during reading the book, as my heart just ached for this poor girl and the cast of characters that saw her light as they came into her life. I fell in love with Sally, and with all the kind souls that surrounded her as she was being abused. Emotionally engulfing, sad but beautiful, this was one of the most unique reading experiences I have ever had. It felt like a massively upgraded In Cold Blood, with an absolutely gripping writing style that will leave you heartbroken and encouraged at the same time. If you read one book this year, consider making it this one.
Firstly, this book was absolutely beautiful in the face of a terribly ugly subject matter. For once, the blurbs on the book cover were extremely accurate. I do wish I hadn't Googled the real Sally Horner case when I was 90% done with the book, thinking that everything that was gonna happen had already happened. Don't do that. But even having done that, I sat through the last 10% blubbering in public. I was crying on and off during reading the book, as my heart just ached for this poor girl and the cast of characters that saw her light as they came into her life. I fell in love with Sally, and with all the kind souls that surrounded her as she was being abused. Emotionally engulfing, sad but beautiful, this was one of the most unique reading experiences I have ever had. It felt like a massively upgraded In Cold Blood, with an absolutely gripping writing style that will leave you heartbroken and encouraged at the same time. If you read one book this year, consider making it this one.