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ClareR (5667 KP) rated Perestroika in Books
Mar 10, 2024
Perestroika by João Cerqueira is the story of a fictional country’s turn away from Communism.
We start off in Slavia in 1978 before any of the massive changes that will eventually take place, and we meet the inhabitants of the country: from the corrupt politicians to the men incarcerated in concentration camps. We see how people live on next to nothing and lies from the government that tell them all of their woes are because of the wicked Capitalist West.
The tables are turned on these corrupt Communists with the advent of Perestroika, and instead of Communists governing the country, an all-out crime boss finds himself in charge. But make no mistake: this was engineered by Ivan Fiorov (the crime boss) and his lackeys.
This is a story that is as relevant today as it always has been - especially with what is going on in the Ukraine at the moment. Some of the story arcs in this are horrific, and not just those that take place in the concentration camps. There’s child abuse, sexual coercion, drug abuse, neo-Nazis, violence. The people in this country experience a lot of change in a short period of time. But at the same time, everything stays the same.
Well worth a read.
We start off in Slavia in 1978 before any of the massive changes that will eventually take place, and we meet the inhabitants of the country: from the corrupt politicians to the men incarcerated in concentration camps. We see how people live on next to nothing and lies from the government that tell them all of their woes are because of the wicked Capitalist West.
The tables are turned on these corrupt Communists with the advent of Perestroika, and instead of Communists governing the country, an all-out crime boss finds himself in charge. But make no mistake: this was engineered by Ivan Fiorov (the crime boss) and his lackeys.
This is a story that is as relevant today as it always has been - especially with what is going on in the Ukraine at the moment. Some of the story arcs in this are horrific, and not just those that take place in the concentration camps. There’s child abuse, sexual coercion, drug abuse, neo-Nazis, violence. The people in this country experience a lot of change in a short period of time. But at the same time, everything stays the same.
Well worth a read.
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Nothing Short of Wondrous (American Wonders #2) in Books
Feb 24, 2021
<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/nothing-short-of-wondrous-lone-star-lit/">Travelers Wife 4 Life</a>
Nothing Short of Wondrous by Regina Scott really is nothing short of wondrous! I do not believe I have read anything by Regina Scott before, and now I am wondering how I missed her books! From the very first line:
<b>“What is it about men and danger? Do they all want to die?"</b>
Regina Scott weaves in a humorous sense of warmth and sarcasm that fully engaged my interest. She is one of the very few authors I have found that has a gift with the way they describe the world around them to make you feel like you are right there in the story. There were such vivid descriptions of Yellowstone National Park, from the colors, the landscape, the smells of the different pools… It was breathtaking, and I am sure the actual park is more so!
The characters. Kate is your classic frontier woman: strong and courageous. She is well balanced though, always willing to let others help when she truly needed it. The banter between her and Will, the main male character is a “I don’t want to like you, but I do anyway” type of spark between them. Which is one of my favorites. Also, have you ever heard the saying “women love a man in uniform”? Well, this apply applies to Will in his Cavalry uniform. Talk about tall dark and handsome
Nothing Short of Wondrous by Regina Scott really is nothing short of wondrous! I do not believe I have read anything by Regina Scott before, and now I am wondering how I missed her books! From the very first line:
<b>“What is it about men and danger? Do they all want to die?"</b>
Regina Scott weaves in a humorous sense of warmth and sarcasm that fully engaged my interest. She is one of the very few authors I have found that has a gift with the way they describe the world around them to make you feel like you are right there in the story. There were such vivid descriptions of Yellowstone National Park, from the colors, the landscape, the smells of the different pools… It was breathtaking, and I am sure the actual park is more so!
The characters. Kate is your classic frontier woman: strong and courageous. She is well balanced though, always willing to let others help when she truly needed it. The banter between her and Will, the main male character is a “I don’t want to like you, but I do anyway” type of spark between them. Which is one of my favorites. Also, have you ever heard the saying “women love a man in uniform”? Well, this apply applies to Will in his Cavalry uniform. Talk about tall dark and handsome
Fred (860 KP) rated Inside in Video Games
Mar 2, 2019
One of the best looking games of all time (3 more)
Creepy and atmospheric.
Good puzzler, but not too hard.
Beautiful music sets the mood for the scenes wonderfully.
A bit short. (1 more)
No platinum trophy on PS4.
A fantastic experience
If you liked the game Limbo, you'll love this. Playdead, the company behind Limbo goes the same route with a side-scrolling, puzzled based platformer. But it's kicked up a notch with it's beautiful design. Just like Limbo, you play as a boy & that's all the info you're given. You run, hide, push things, and jump. Throughout the game, you come across mindless, zombie-like clones who you are able to control, who you'll need to solve the many puzzles. There are many puzzles, and some you may get stuck on for a while, but they're not hard enough that you'll quit or run to the internet to figure out.
I don't want to tell you anymore, as it's something you need to experience for yourself. The story gets real deep & builds to an exciting ending. Yes, the game is short, but you'll probably replay it, if only to find the hidden orbs. Play it, play it, play it. NOW!
I don't want to tell you anymore, as it's something you need to experience for yourself. The story gets real deep & builds to an exciting ending. Yes, the game is short, but you'll probably replay it, if only to find the hidden orbs. Play it, play it, play it. NOW!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Sense of an Ending in Books
Apr 12, 2019
A little confused and long winded
This book has a writing style that I'm not 100% keen on. Most of it is fine and easy to write, but then it has this awful habit of the main character going off into rambling musings and monologues that are far too long and pointless. This is a short book as it is, but it's be a short story if all of these ramblings had been removed!
That said, this isn't that bad a read. The plot is simple and straight forward about Tony reminiscing on his past and the death of a friend, and his musings on this in the present day. Tony himself is a strange character. He's actions and interactions with others are highly frustrating, but yet he's still a fairly endearing and intriguing character. I just think the ending was a let down. Mainly because it hasn't quite spelt it out properly, and I had to reread the final paragraphs to get what it was hinting at, and I'm still not absolutely convinced that I've got it right. Theres a big difference between an ambiguous ending and a downright confusing frustrating one, and this is definitely the latter.
That said, this isn't that bad a read. The plot is simple and straight forward about Tony reminiscing on his past and the death of a friend, and his musings on this in the present day. Tony himself is a strange character. He's actions and interactions with others are highly frustrating, but yet he's still a fairly endearing and intriguing character. I just think the ending was a let down. Mainly because it hasn't quite spelt it out properly, and I had to reread the final paragraphs to get what it was hinting at, and I'm still not absolutely convinced that I've got it right. Theres a big difference between an ambiguous ending and a downright confusing frustrating one, and this is definitely the latter.
Dana (24 KP) rated The Eleventh Plague in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I got this book in high school about six years ago and decided to finally give it a read. It was just starting at me from my shelf with it's sad eyes, so I had to give in.
This was a pretty interesting dystopia. I liked the world building and the idea of the eleven plagues to wipe out humanity. It was pretty well written and even though it was short, there was a lot of story involved in the pages. It felt like it was rushed. A lot of stuff happens in such a short amount of time that does not allow for the characters to really flourish in the book for me. I think that is the main problem I had with this book
It's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember much of the plot which is kind of a problem for me. I think I will look into more of what Jeff Hirsch has written because I want to try out another book of his to get a feel for the writing style.
Overall, not too bad of a book. I just wish I remembered more of it.
This was a pretty interesting dystopia. I liked the world building and the idea of the eleven plagues to wipe out humanity. It was pretty well written and even though it was short, there was a lot of story involved in the pages. It felt like it was rushed. A lot of stuff happens in such a short amount of time that does not allow for the characters to really flourish in the book for me. I think that is the main problem I had with this book
It's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember much of the plot which is kind of a problem for me. I think I will look into more of what Jeff Hirsch has written because I want to try out another book of his to get a feel for the writing style.
Overall, not too bad of a book. I just wish I remembered more of it.
Too Blessed To Be Stressed. . .Inspiration for Every Day: 365 Devotions for Women by Debora M. Coty is a sweet little devotional book. The devotionals are short, to the point, and easy to digest. This book is perfect for women on the go, fitting easily into a purse or computer bag, and makes a thoughtful gift as well.
Each devotion features the date, a title, Bible verse of inspiration, a short story, and prayer/thought to apply to our lives on that set date. There's a ribbon bookmark bound into the book to keep ones place until the next reading. The back of the book features a scripture index that list scripture used in the devotional alphabetically by each book found in the Bible. I like that the book isn't too big. It fits nicely on my bedside table but also would be a good fit for a bathroom shelf, office desk, or in a living room dedicated space for books to be intended to read daily.
I received this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. and Shiloh Run Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Each devotion features the date, a title, Bible verse of inspiration, a short story, and prayer/thought to apply to our lives on that set date. There's a ribbon bookmark bound into the book to keep ones place until the next reading. The back of the book features a scripture index that list scripture used in the devotional alphabetically by each book found in the Bible. I like that the book isn't too big. It fits nicely on my bedside table but also would be a good fit for a bathroom shelf, office desk, or in a living room dedicated space for books to be intended to read daily.
I received this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. and Shiloh Run Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated The Boy (2016) in Movies
Sep 16, 2018
The boy done...ok actually
When me and the missus first saw a trailer for this movie, we actually laughed.
It seemed so old fashioned, with a Goofy premise that just seemed out of place, more at home in a Vincent Price flick.
However, there was budget behind this film, strong casting and performances and a good patient build towards a big finish that was pretty effective.
This is very much an old premise, and as mentioned before, is pretty much an update of an old theme and had the casting and writing fallen short, it would have not been much more than another straight to dvd movie.
However the lead actors are sincere enough, and the cinematography eye-catching enough that you can stick with it, as it builds towards the scares and climaxes.
Give it a go if you are caught short on things to watch, it's not a high octane thriller, it's not a scare a minute, but it is a good story well told and not a bad way to spend an evening.
It seemed so old fashioned, with a Goofy premise that just seemed out of place, more at home in a Vincent Price flick.
However, there was budget behind this film, strong casting and performances and a good patient build towards a big finish that was pretty effective.
This is very much an old premise, and as mentioned before, is pretty much an update of an old theme and had the casting and writing fallen short, it would have not been much more than another straight to dvd movie.
However the lead actors are sincere enough, and the cinematography eye-catching enough that you can stick with it, as it builds towards the scares and climaxes.
Give it a go if you are caught short on things to watch, it's not a high octane thriller, it's not a scare a minute, but it is a good story well told and not a bad way to spend an evening.
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated The Arts of Love: Stories of Sensual Creativity in Books
Dec 10, 2018
a fabulous little collection!
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
16 short stories, written by the same author, based around love and the Arts. Music, acting, writing and everything inbetween.
A 16 book collection was never going to get 16 individual reviews, so here's what I thought about them all, as a whole.
I rather enjoyed it!
It's a great collection of shorts, average about 15 pages each, some a little shorter or longer, but that gives you just enough for each story, I thought, to give you a brief connection, a glimpse into these people's lives.
Some stories are a bit more explicit, some almost clean, in my opinion. Mostly written from one person's view, in the third person.
Each short is well written, and well delivered. I saw no spelling or editing errors to spoil my reading experience.
This is the first I've read of this author, and I'd like to read more. Something much longer than these shorts, just to see what they can do with more pages!
A thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon spent reading, thank you.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
16 short stories, written by the same author, based around love and the Arts. Music, acting, writing and everything inbetween.
A 16 book collection was never going to get 16 individual reviews, so here's what I thought about them all, as a whole.
I rather enjoyed it!
It's a great collection of shorts, average about 15 pages each, some a little shorter or longer, but that gives you just enough for each story, I thought, to give you a brief connection, a glimpse into these people's lives.
Some stories are a bit more explicit, some almost clean, in my opinion. Mostly written from one person's view, in the third person.
Each short is well written, and well delivered. I saw no spelling or editing errors to spoil my reading experience.
This is the first I've read of this author, and I'd like to read more. Something much longer than these shorts, just to see what they can do with more pages!
A thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon spent reading, thank you.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Hollywood Dreaming: Stories, Pictures, and Poems
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In his follow-up to A California Childhood, James Franco reflects on his life in Hollywood and...
Between Categories: The Films of Margaret Tait: Portraits, Poetry, Sound and Place
Book
Margaret Tait - filmmaker, photographer, poet, painter, essayist and short story writer - is one of...