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Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls, #2)
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls, #2)
Ally Carter | 2007 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
This series is so addictive. I completely devoured this second book after finishing the first. It’s the sort of book that you can binge in one sitting which is partly why I loved it so much.

This was even better than the first book. There was somehow even more action and drama packed into this little book and it still didn’t feel like there was to much in such a short space. The action was completely gripping and still managed to keep me hooked to the point that I bought the third book while I was halfway through reading this one.

I loved Cammie even more in this one. Her wit gets me laughing in places and I felt every single emotion she was feeling in the book. For YA, the novel is so emotionally written and I loved that. You can completely tell with this series that Ally Carter had a true bond with Cammie, which really brings her story to life.
  
Terminal Uprising (Book Two of the Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse)
Terminal Uprising (Book Two of the Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse)
Jim C. Hines | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wit (3 more)
Descriptions of Earth
the escapes
Doc
slow at times (1 more)
ends too soon
Mops & Co. are at it again. Four months of avoiding the Krakau, Mops and her team embark on a mission to the most feared place in the galaxy: Earth. What her team learns will change them and the Alliance forever.
There are not as many alien life forms as it focuses mostly on the Krakau and humans however there are still some fun life forms that you get to meet, as well as, getting to know the Prodryans better. These space janitors are great at sweeping away lies to get to the truth. Cleaning up other people's messes is just all in a day's work. Just as witty and humorous as the first book. Unlike the first book this one is also a little more serious. There is more times the pace is slow although that doesn't mean there isn't some great action.
  
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
1993 | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Some outstanding episodes (0 more)
Some truly awful episodes (0 more)
Some of the best Trek
Deep Space 9 is almost the Marmite of Star Trek. You (generally) either love it or you hate it; however, unlike Marmite, it is absolutely possible to love or hate whole seasons of DS9.

Personally, Season 1 and Season 2 are generally pretty poor. A few good episodes, and a chunk of character development goes some way to making it, but it isn't really until part way through Season 3 and even into Season 4, with wars against the Klingons, the Cardassians, the Marquis, and ultimately the Dominion, that it really takes off. And even then, it's probably seasons 5-7 which are actually excellent (although there are some "meh" episodes).

Some of the story arcs take several episodes to really have an impact, but when they do have an impact, they really get you - whether its disbelief, or sadness, or adreneline, the season-long arcs introduce a totally new method of watching Trek.
  
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Jenny Houle (24 KP) rated TED in Apps

Jan 26, 2018  
TED
TED
Education, Entertainment
If I know I'll be able to be connected to wi-fi, I can create a list of talks I've been waiting to watch, and view them. Absolutely convenient that way. (0 more)
Please see the note below (0 more)
PLEASE NOTE MY REVIEW REFERS TO THE APP FOR KINDLE
My "The Bad" was too long for the characters allowed, so I had to post it here: The app doesn't let you download to your SD card if you have one attached, so the only way to download talks ahead of time without killing your storage space is to download them to the computer, move them to the SD card via USB and then watch them that way. Sort of defeats the "convenient factor", which totally and completely bummed me out.

I want to point out again that my review is regarding the app for Kindle. I do not know if this is the case on other platforms.
  
Z(
Zodiac (Zodiac, #1)
8
7.0 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Every time you think you have something figured out in this book, the author throws you a curveball. I never knew what to expect when reading this book but enjoyed it overall. The world building was good, but I hope it is developed more in subsequent books. It could be so rich and immersive if that happens. Some of the scenes were weak and made the pacing drag. The main character is relatable despite her unexpected change in station and dramatic odyssey. As seems typical in recent YA fiction there is an element of a love triangle. I don't find it entirely believable, so it pulls me out of the narrative at times. Some of the scenes were weak and made the pacing drag. Overall, it's an enjoyable read and I will be reading the subsequent books in the series. Definitely recommend reading this book if you like YA fiction about space, technology, bad guys, adventure or romance.
  
Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars
2016 | Business / Industrial, Economic, Environmental, Science Fiction, Territory Building
Terraforming Mars review: Turn the “Red Planet” green with this amazing board game
But to find the fun, you have to give Terraforming Mars a chance—and the game does itself few favors when it comes to table appeal.

The game's icons look like vector clip art from the early 2000s, all glittering gold surfaces and apparent depth. The player mats are thin cardboard that provide just enough space to track the game's essential production levels using cubes; because they have no linen finish, the mats are also smooth. Even tiny bumps can dislodge these core gameplay elements, so you need to be extremely careful while playing. Speaking of cubes, those used for counting resources come coated in metallic paint, which has already begun to chip off some of the corners, giving them a slightly sad faux-luxury look.


Critic: Nate Anderson
Read the full review here: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/terraforming-mars-review/
  
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman (2017)
2017 | Action, Fantasy, War
I really enjoyed Gal Gadots' take on Diana in this movie she gives a very good strong performance and Chris Pine was the perfect foil to her character. Costume design, cgi work and the pacing of the movie. (0 more)
I didn't like the final battle it was a fairly good twist in the end but it just didn't feel as good as the sciences leading up to it. (0 more)
On the right track
All in all I thought this was a very good movie with great performances especially from Gal and Chris. I really enjoyed the comic levity Chris Pines' character gave between Gal Gadots' naive attitude at times. Also the space inbetween actions scenes I took as a direct link towards her upbringing as she got to basically enjoy herself whilst others learn to fight and then her aunt started to train her and then she started to grow into the woman she is meant to be.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Phase IV (1974) in Movies

Feb 22, 2018 (Updated Feb 22, 2018)  
Phase IV (1974)
Phase IV (1974)
1974 | Sci-Fi
Strange, chilly SF movie; cerebral even by the standards of the early 70s - rather like 2001: A Space Odyssey with much more insecticide. Quite what's going on remains somewhat obscure, but some kind of cosmic force or phenomenon affects the behaviour of terrestrial ants in a rather alarming fashion; two scientists studying the insects find themselves besieged by the creatures, along with a survivor of one of their attacks.

By no means the B-movie shocker it sounds like; actually quite slow and thoughtful (maybe too much so). Saul Bass was primarily a graphic designer and his interest is clearly in the visuals: there are long sequences of close-up photography showing ants behaving peculiarly, with no dialogue or voice-over. Certainly some striking sequences, and kind of pleasantly mystifying to watch; the decision by the distributors to remove most of Bass' original ending was probably a mistake, robbing the climax of its impact. A curiosity, but a worthwhile one.
  
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
2017 | Action, Adventure
Tom Holland is perfect fit for the role, overall casting was fantastic! (0 more)
There appears to be at least on split scenes between actors that sticks out like a bad thumb (0 more)
The very best
The reboot of the reboot of our web slinger, this time around making Peter Parker with an actor who appears high school aged and not thirty something. It starts off without the origin which was a weird surprise but I think they believed the audience is well aware of how spidey got his powers so why not save some space and skip ahead to where he is experimenting being a superhero. Michael Keaton is cast as the Falcon but he is able to channel his badass side and make this character more than just a glider suite. The relationship between Tony Stark and Peter is cute and again the best part of this is Tom Hollands performance and youthfulness.
  
All the Crooked Saints
All the Crooked Saints
Maggie Stiefvater | 2017 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.9 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was alright - it was an interesting read but the writing was strange. The Stiefvater books I've read have all been audiobook style (Raven Cycle) so it was strange to read a book on paper like this and it was rough at times to pick apart the context of the book.

The whole Saint aspect was well thought out I think and quite unique to things I have read in the past as far as magical realism goes. There was also a plethora of great characters to choose from to be your favourite from the start. The book doesn't generally focus on any one in particular even though it's about the three cousins I feel equal play time was given to the pilgrims so it was a joy in that aspect.

If it weren't for the difficult shift in head space, going from one character straight into another's thoughts I think this book would have been utterly joyful! But a solid 3.5 stars anyway!