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TacoDave (3886 KP) rated Lord of the Flies in Books
May 23, 2019
Engaging (2 more)
Good pace
Believable characters and plot
A brutal classic
"Lord of the Flies" is a classic for a reason. It is the story of a bunch of boys who survive a plane crash and are stranded on an island together. They get along well at first, but soon the pressures of their situation cause cracks in their 'society' and they form into two groups that clash with each other, sometimes violently.
The idea that human civilization is fragile is examined, but not through exposition, rather through the actions of the characters in the story. Are humans inherently violent? Is peaceful society an illusion, one tragedy away from breakdown?
If you've never read this book - or seen one of the movie versions - be aware that it gets brutal at times. There is violence and bloodshed and not everyone escapes unharmed. But it is a fascinating story of civility and civilization and what it means to be a human in a stable society.
The idea that human civilization is fragile is examined, but not through exposition, rather through the actions of the characters in the story. Are humans inherently violent? Is peaceful society an illusion, one tragedy away from breakdown?
If you've never read this book - or seen one of the movie versions - be aware that it gets brutal at times. There is violence and bloodshed and not everyone escapes unharmed. But it is a fascinating story of civility and civilization and what it means to be a human in a stable society.
Ruth Angharad (2 KP) rated Instagram in Apps
May 24, 2019
When its good, its very good but when its bad, its horrid.
I have been using instagram for about 7 years now and when it first came out I wasn't too sure if I liked the idea of it ... its basically facebook but with photos which is fine. I use instagram now as one of my most used apps and I enjoy watching peoples stories, connecting with people easily and I can watch the search page for hours sometimes.
However when there are problems with instagram they can be horrendous! It can log you out, freeze your phone completely and there are areas of instagram that are so dark and mentally quite disturbing that it could cause real distress. This would be something I would watch and manage carefully especially with children but it is overall an amazing platform.
However when there are problems with instagram they can be horrendous! It can log you out, freeze your phone completely and there are areas of instagram that are so dark and mentally quite disturbing that it could cause real distress. This would be something I would watch and manage carefully especially with children but it is overall an amazing platform.
Peter Shephard (2822 KP) rated The Quacks of Quedlinburg in Tabletop Games
May 24, 2019
Really fun, challenging risk-taking game
A pinch of mandrake, a few berry bombs, and a cricket. The ingredients for a perfect potion - or is it? Depending on how powerful the ingredients are, the same blend could make you a profit, or could blow up in your face!
An interesting drawing mechanism (identical shaped components in individual players bags) means you never know what you will pull out next. Playing at the same time as all the other players is mixed - sometimes a player can have a fun of luck, and get to a high scoring potion before you have even got to the teens, but the next round they might explode in the first few ingredients!
Very variable game, very fun, and very, very replayable. A game for everyones"gaming circle"!
An interesting drawing mechanism (identical shaped components in individual players bags) means you never know what you will pull out next. Playing at the same time as all the other players is mixed - sometimes a player can have a fun of luck, and get to a high scoring potion before you have even got to the teens, but the next round they might explode in the first few ingredients!
Very variable game, very fun, and very, very replayable. A game for everyones"gaming circle"!
Peter Shephard (2822 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Prelude in Tabletop Games
May 25, 2019
Excellent expansion
Out of all of the expansions for TM so far, this is probably the easiest to incorporate, but the most game-changing. With each corporation having additional variables from how they were funded, it is possible to get some really, really specialised resource synchronisation, butnequally it is possible to turn a corporation which excels at one resource into a much more generalist, and gain boosts to several.
For some of the Prelude cards, they appear to be are a bit of a "dud", but sometimes getting a boost of a few Titanium right at the start can be a massive advantage, whereas others having an increase in Tree production can be a game winner. I have found that the main factor in success is still the Corporatation, but the Prelude cards certainly turn some of the "easy" Corps up a few notches, and can turn some of the "advanced" ones up to 11!
For some of the Prelude cards, they appear to be are a bit of a "dud", but sometimes getting a boost of a few Titanium right at the start can be a massive advantage, whereas others having an increase in Tree production can be a game winner. I have found that the main factor in success is still the Corporatation, but the Prelude cards certainly turn some of the "easy" Corps up a few notches, and can turn some of the "advanced" ones up to 11!
Erika (17789 KP) rated Popstar Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) in Movies
May 25, 2019
Ever since I was born, I was dope.
After watching @The Lonely Island Presents: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience (2019) , I was in the mood to re-watch one of my favorite movies. I was also aghast that I hadn't reviewed this yet.
I've loved The Lonely Island since Lazy Sunday, and I'm on a Boat was basically the anthem for my senior year of college (university). This is one of my favorite mockumentaries out of all of them. The songs are hilarious, and any movie that starts out with the line, 'Ever since I was born, I was dope', is going to be completely absurd. The crude nature of the songs always makes me laugh out loud, and I have the CD in my car. My favorites are 'Karate Guy', and 'Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song)', and they still make me snort-laugh whenever I hear them.
The humor isn't for everyone, most songs are explicit, with sometimes cringe-worthy detail, but it makes it funnier to me.
I've loved The Lonely Island since Lazy Sunday, and I'm on a Boat was basically the anthem for my senior year of college (university). This is one of my favorite mockumentaries out of all of them. The songs are hilarious, and any movie that starts out with the line, 'Ever since I was born, I was dope', is going to be completely absurd. The crude nature of the songs always makes me laugh out loud, and I have the CD in my car. My favorites are 'Karate Guy', and 'Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song)', and they still make me snort-laugh whenever I hear them.
The humor isn't for everyone, most songs are explicit, with sometimes cringe-worthy detail, but it makes it funnier to me.
Peter Shephard (2822 KP) rated Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season 5 in TV
Jun 3, 2019
So far, so very good!
So far, we (my wife and i) are about to finish Season 3. We have been semi-binge-watching for about a month, but with the episodes only being 20 minutes, its refreshingly easy to get a few episodes in each night, which really helps to keep the laughs!
The characters are great, if (slightly) lacking development - although Peralta is still the wisecracking clown in S3, he has matured just a tiny bit. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but some slightly bigger changes would be good - yes Diaz is able to express some emotions, briefly; Holt is more human etc and they feel organic, but sometimes it is a bit forced.
I have really enjoyed the show, so far, and I look forward to seeing any further development - or not! - for the remaining episodes.
Well worth a watch, as a bit of lightweight humour
The characters are great, if (slightly) lacking development - although Peralta is still the wisecracking clown in S3, he has matured just a tiny bit. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but some slightly bigger changes would be good - yes Diaz is able to express some emotions, briefly; Holt is more human etc and they feel organic, but sometimes it is a bit forced.
I have really enjoyed the show, so far, and I look forward to seeing any further development - or not! - for the remaining episodes.
Well worth a watch, as a bit of lightweight humour
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Entangled Lives in Books
Jun 5, 2019
In Entangled Lives by Imran Omer we meet orphan Raza, and his pregnant girlfriend who are forced apart when Raza is sent to Afghanistan to join the Taliban. Growing up his life was hard, and it seems it’s not getting any easier with age. As the story unfolds, reporter Rachel Brown gets first hand experience of the horrors of war, and through her point of view were are given her part of the story, and what happens when their paths cross, not just once, but twice.
My heart went out to Raza, as we see the extreme extent of the cause; a poor and vulnerable Pakistani boy fighting not only western society and their prejudices, but a tragic fate that’s controlled by money and power.
I enjoyed reading this, sometimes harrowing, tale that’s realistic and very topical for the current climate. The stark contrast between Raza’s life, and the entitled American reporter, Rachel, is portrayed well, and reveals the depth of this story with compassion and humanity.
My heart went out to Raza, as we see the extreme extent of the cause; a poor and vulnerable Pakistani boy fighting not only western society and their prejudices, but a tragic fate that’s controlled by money and power.
I enjoyed reading this, sometimes harrowing, tale that’s realistic and very topical for the current climate. The stark contrast between Raza’s life, and the entitled American reporter, Rachel, is portrayed well, and reveals the depth of this story with compassion and humanity.
Georgina DeBurca (2 KP) rated Paranormal Protection Agency (Paranormal Protection Agency, #1 - #5) in Books
Jan 29, 2018
I'm Not going to reveal any spoilers. This book features books 1-5 of the Paranormal protection agency series by Mina Carter.
My overall impression: It was an extremely well written and well thought out series. The stories are quick reads but in my opinion that is a good thing. Especially for women who have lots they have to do such as working and looking after the kids. I would have plowed through this in one day if not for my children, but it's fine because I can get to the end of a part and put it down and come back to it.
The characters were amazing to meet. The men were strong and domineering. The women were sometimes equally as strong but just needed a bit of brute strength in assistance.
The love scenes were hot hot hot. The men sexy, the women wanton. I loved it.
I'd definitely advise you buy this and read it. You won't be disappointed.
My overall impression: It was an extremely well written and well thought out series. The stories are quick reads but in my opinion that is a good thing. Especially for women who have lots they have to do such as working and looking after the kids. I would have plowed through this in one day if not for my children, but it's fine because I can get to the end of a part and put it down and come back to it.
The characters were amazing to meet. The men were strong and domineering. The women were sometimes equally as strong but just needed a bit of brute strength in assistance.
The love scenes were hot hot hot. The men sexy, the women wanton. I loved it.
I'd definitely advise you buy this and read it. You won't be disappointed.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated His Wicked Lady in Books
Jan 18, 2018
This is definitely a novel you should not base on its cover. The cover makes it look medieval, the description makes it sound regency, but the actual story has a completely different than both of those.
There were a lot of pros and cons for me in this book. On one hand, I liked the strong females leads and the author tackling the subject domestic abuse. However, it felt awkward in unrealistic for the time frame that the author placed the story in. I also felt the dialogue was a bit out of place. Sometimes, authors modernize dialogue so it is more readable for the readers. I am not sure if thats what she was doing, but it didnt detract too much from the story. In fact, I quite enjoyed the lead couples bantering for the most part.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed the novel. It had some unrealistic factors that grated against my nerves, but I was invested in the HEA.
There were a lot of pros and cons for me in this book. On one hand, I liked the strong females leads and the author tackling the subject domestic abuse. However, it felt awkward in unrealistic for the time frame that the author placed the story in. I also felt the dialogue was a bit out of place. Sometimes, authors modernize dialogue so it is more readable for the readers. I am not sure if thats what she was doing, but it didnt detract too much from the story. In fact, I quite enjoyed the lead couples bantering for the most part.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed the novel. It had some unrealistic factors that grated against my nerves, but I was invested in the HEA.
Heather (1 KP) rated The Man in the High Castle - Season 1 in TV
Jan 20, 2018
Excellent story line of what could of happened if the USA didn't win world war 2. (1 more)
I love the unexpected plot twists that keep you on your toes and wanting to see what happens next.
Great story line of what ifs
Not for children. It may give them nightmares and since child can take things literally, they may not fully understand the fact that it's a fictional show depicting a different life had things of been different during world war 2
Great for history buff though and theologists and philosophers as this covers both and asks, what if things didn't end well for the USA?
Great for history buff though and theologists and philosophers as this covers both and asks, what if things didn't end well for the USA?