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Debbiereadsbook (1370 KP) rated The Half Wolf in Books
Aug 9, 2021
a different take on shifters!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted the audio file of this book.
Quinn has lived in Wales his whole life. He knows of shifters and their nomadic lifestyle. He also knows that they suffer a lot of prejudice. Meeting Kellan, a wolf shifter who’s camped out in the valley, throws Quinn out of sorts: MORE out of sorts that he usually feels. Their attraction is obvious, but Kellan knows he can’t have Quinn. Quinn is human and wolves and humans do not mate, do they?
I usually write a bit about the book first, then the narration, but sometimes I can’t do that because my reviews often take a life of their own and this is one such time.
Hamish Long narrates. It's so nice to NOT have an American accent in your ear, you know? Long’s talent is only just coming to my attention, and I LOVED the narration of this book. His reading voice is deep and clear, and I had no trouble keeping up with the tale. His voices for the different characters were, I thought, spot on. With a mix of Welsh, non-descript English accents fitting for nomads and even an American accent thrown in, they were varied but accurate. The voice for the rogue wolf was major creepy, but very apt. Long gets across all of Quinn’s continuing changes and feelings, and all of Kellan’s need for Quinn, but knowing he can’t have him, and how much it breaks Kellan to realise that he might have to walk away.
My only niggle, and it’s a personal one, rather than a technical one, was that at first, I thought it was Quinn and Calum, not Kellan. But at some point, there was a marked difference in the name’s delivery, and I noticed Kellan more. Might just be me and my rubbish hearing though.
The story itself is well written and well delivered. Different enough to be interesting and to totally hold my attention from start to finish. And trust me on this, that’s a tricky thing right now! (major book funk!) While I twigged something was a little different in Quinn early on, how that all played out was not how I thought it would.
The rogue wolf was called an omega here, and that’s different to other wolf shifter books and I did like that some things were tipped on their head, I really did.
Not especially heavy on the smexy stuff, but plenty of steam! It’s not really needed here, I don’t think. Quinn and Kellan have passion and attraction and that comes across well enough. It is violent though, when dealing with the rogue and I think that was needed.
Long seems to have narrated a fair few of Northcote’s books, I might have a few more hours listening on my audio list now!
4 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
4.5 overall but rounded UP for the blog.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Quinn has lived in Wales his whole life. He knows of shifters and their nomadic lifestyle. He also knows that they suffer a lot of prejudice. Meeting Kellan, a wolf shifter who’s camped out in the valley, throws Quinn out of sorts: MORE out of sorts that he usually feels. Their attraction is obvious, but Kellan knows he can’t have Quinn. Quinn is human and wolves and humans do not mate, do they?
I usually write a bit about the book first, then the narration, but sometimes I can’t do that because my reviews often take a life of their own and this is one such time.
Hamish Long narrates. It's so nice to NOT have an American accent in your ear, you know? Long’s talent is only just coming to my attention, and I LOVED the narration of this book. His reading voice is deep and clear, and I had no trouble keeping up with the tale. His voices for the different characters were, I thought, spot on. With a mix of Welsh, non-descript English accents fitting for nomads and even an American accent thrown in, they were varied but accurate. The voice for the rogue wolf was major creepy, but very apt. Long gets across all of Quinn’s continuing changes and feelings, and all of Kellan’s need for Quinn, but knowing he can’t have him, and how much it breaks Kellan to realise that he might have to walk away.
My only niggle, and it’s a personal one, rather than a technical one, was that at first, I thought it was Quinn and Calum, not Kellan. But at some point, there was a marked difference in the name’s delivery, and I noticed Kellan more. Might just be me and my rubbish hearing though.
The story itself is well written and well delivered. Different enough to be interesting and to totally hold my attention from start to finish. And trust me on this, that’s a tricky thing right now! (major book funk!) While I twigged something was a little different in Quinn early on, how that all played out was not how I thought it would.
The rogue wolf was called an omega here, and that’s different to other wolf shifter books and I did like that some things were tipped on their head, I really did.
Not especially heavy on the smexy stuff, but plenty of steam! It’s not really needed here, I don’t think. Quinn and Kellan have passion and attraction and that comes across well enough. It is violent though, when dealing with the rogue and I think that was needed.
Long seems to have narrated a fair few of Northcote’s books, I might have a few more hours listening on my audio list now!
4 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
4.5 overall but rounded UP for the blog.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Debbiereadsbook (1370 KP) rated Kiss Me Again in Books
Jun 28, 2019
difficult, but enjoyable
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Aiden fell from the tree he was working on, and ended up in hospital. The only person who seemed to be ale to get through to Aiden was Ludo. Ludo is fighting his own demons again, and Aiden seems to make him all . . well . . he doesn;t know the word but Aiden makes him feel good. And GOOD is not a thing Ludo has had for some time. When Aiden is released and Ludo not, things for oth of them spiral downhill. A chance meeting puts bth men back on track, but can they really be HAPPY? Either of them?
I found this a difficult read. But a very good one!
Ludo is bi-polar, and tries to keep up with his meds, but they keep changing his doses, and the type of meds he is taking, and he knows when he is going down, he can feel it. He can equally feel his highs. And these are the bits I struggled with the most. I have someone close to me who is bi-polar, and they are never able to voice how things make them feel. Getting into Ludo's head, difficult as it was, gave me a bit more insight into my friend's head. Scared me a bit, to be honest, but I really did not fully get what my friend was trying to tell me before. I do a bit better now. So hopefully I can be a better friend.
Aiden is GRUMPY! Oh he made me laugh, he really is a grumpy git, and he knows it! Ludo though, Ludo makes him want to NOT be and he tries, he really does. It just takes him time, since he's been so grumpy for so long.
The relationship between Ludo and Aiden moves at an even pace, steady and solid along the book. Its not overly sexy, but their is heat and steam aplenty. But its not about the sex between these two, it's about learning to love another, and what that menas for them.
Both Ludo and Aiden have their say. While both men are difficult to read, I did love them to pieces. I wanted to wrap them both up and be mum to them, I really did!
I loved the way Ms Leigh tells her tales. It takes time for Ludo's full medical history to come clear, and you get hints and snippets to put together your own version, not always correctly, mind!
I've not read anything else by Ms Leigh before, and this is what love most about reviewing for the blog. NEW to me authors pop up all the time. These authors have published many books, but not crossed my path before. So I'd love to read more by this author.
A thoroughly difficult but very enjoyable
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Aiden fell from the tree he was working on, and ended up in hospital. The only person who seemed to be ale to get through to Aiden was Ludo. Ludo is fighting his own demons again, and Aiden seems to make him all . . well . . he doesn;t know the word but Aiden makes him feel good. And GOOD is not a thing Ludo has had for some time. When Aiden is released and Ludo not, things for oth of them spiral downhill. A chance meeting puts bth men back on track, but can they really be HAPPY? Either of them?
I found this a difficult read. But a very good one!
Ludo is bi-polar, and tries to keep up with his meds, but they keep changing his doses, and the type of meds he is taking, and he knows when he is going down, he can feel it. He can equally feel his highs. And these are the bits I struggled with the most. I have someone close to me who is bi-polar, and they are never able to voice how things make them feel. Getting into Ludo's head, difficult as it was, gave me a bit more insight into my friend's head. Scared me a bit, to be honest, but I really did not fully get what my friend was trying to tell me before. I do a bit better now. So hopefully I can be a better friend.
Aiden is GRUMPY! Oh he made me laugh, he really is a grumpy git, and he knows it! Ludo though, Ludo makes him want to NOT be and he tries, he really does. It just takes him time, since he's been so grumpy for so long.
The relationship between Ludo and Aiden moves at an even pace, steady and solid along the book. Its not overly sexy, but their is heat and steam aplenty. But its not about the sex between these two, it's about learning to love another, and what that menas for them.
Both Ludo and Aiden have their say. While both men are difficult to read, I did love them to pieces. I wanted to wrap them both up and be mum to them, I really did!
I loved the way Ms Leigh tells her tales. It takes time for Ludo's full medical history to come clear, and you get hints and snippets to put together your own version, not always correctly, mind!
I've not read anything else by Ms Leigh before, and this is what love most about reviewing for the blog. NEW to me authors pop up all the time. These authors have published many books, but not crossed my path before. So I'd love to read more by this author.
A thoroughly difficult but very enjoyable
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Debbiereadsbook (1370 KP) rated Winging It (Hockey Ever After #1) in Books
Oct 20, 2022
so glad I gave this a go!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I will admit, hockey themed books tend to be a bit and miss for me, depending on the level of detailed descriptions about the actual playing of hockey. I have no interest in hockey, and it's not a very popular sport in the UK. So, when a blurb grabs me, about a hockey book, I walk into it with an open mind and give it a good go.
I was VERY pleased I took this on!
Gabe is far in the closet and has no plans to be out. Dante is not, in the closet nor out of it but a door opening at the wrong time, gets Dante a glance at Gabe in a man's arms. Dante's mind then goes into overdrive. Gabe is all, aside from hockey, he thinks about. When gabe is outed by an ex, Dante stands by his man. Cos Gabe is his, he just doesn't know it yet.
What I especially liked about this, was how things crept up on Dante. Gabe, for his part, liked Dante, and he played a part in Gabe's dreams, but Dante was a ladies man, before Gabe and that does throw him a little bit. Once he gets his head round it, Dante is happy to admit he is bi. And Dante goes all out to get Gabe in his bed and his heart.
Gabe is more cautious, and rightly so. He's been hurt before and doesn't want to be again, but sometimes, fate has a way of stuffing your plans out the window!
I loved the guys on the team, all of them even Kitty. He does a bad thing here, but he does redeem himself, beautifully! And the way they all pull together to help Tom was amazing. They saw he was off, and pulled a bit of an intervention to get to the bottom of it and then they all helped. Loved that.
I found the level of hockey descriptions just enough for me. Some may say there isn't enough, but fo ME, they were just detailed enough for me not to skip them, which is good, cos I would have missed some important bits had I skipped!
The level of steam is fairly high, but not ever so explicit and I liked that here. This is more about seeing what's in front of you, dealing with your past and planning for the future.
Book 2 has a different set of leads, so I'm wondering if that book follows this one, given what is said in the blurb, and given what happens here. I do hope we can catch up with Gabe and Dante though.
First I've read of either of this pair of authors, I will read more!
A very enjoyable 4 star read.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
I will admit, hockey themed books tend to be a bit and miss for me, depending on the level of detailed descriptions about the actual playing of hockey. I have no interest in hockey, and it's not a very popular sport in the UK. So, when a blurb grabs me, about a hockey book, I walk into it with an open mind and give it a good go.
I was VERY pleased I took this on!
Gabe is far in the closet and has no plans to be out. Dante is not, in the closet nor out of it but a door opening at the wrong time, gets Dante a glance at Gabe in a man's arms. Dante's mind then goes into overdrive. Gabe is all, aside from hockey, he thinks about. When gabe is outed by an ex, Dante stands by his man. Cos Gabe is his, he just doesn't know it yet.
What I especially liked about this, was how things crept up on Dante. Gabe, for his part, liked Dante, and he played a part in Gabe's dreams, but Dante was a ladies man, before Gabe and that does throw him a little bit. Once he gets his head round it, Dante is happy to admit he is bi. And Dante goes all out to get Gabe in his bed and his heart.
Gabe is more cautious, and rightly so. He's been hurt before and doesn't want to be again, but sometimes, fate has a way of stuffing your plans out the window!
I loved the guys on the team, all of them even Kitty. He does a bad thing here, but he does redeem himself, beautifully! And the way they all pull together to help Tom was amazing. They saw he was off, and pulled a bit of an intervention to get to the bottom of it and then they all helped. Loved that.
I found the level of hockey descriptions just enough for me. Some may say there isn't enough, but fo ME, they were just detailed enough for me not to skip them, which is good, cos I would have missed some important bits had I skipped!
The level of steam is fairly high, but not ever so explicit and I liked that here. This is more about seeing what's in front of you, dealing with your past and planning for the future.
Book 2 has a different set of leads, so I'm wondering if that book follows this one, given what is said in the blurb, and given what happens here. I do hope we can catch up with Gabe and Dante though.
First I've read of either of this pair of authors, I will read more!
A very enjoyable 4 star read.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Debbiereadsbook (1370 KP) rated Feathers and Foxes (Brodyr Alarch #2) in Books
Aug 17, 2024
I love hearing from everyone! It fills the bigger picture with more colour and detai!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Brodyr Alarch series, but it's not necessary to have read Slippers and Songs, which is book one, nor is it necessary to read Sealed with a Curse, which is the sort of introduction to this world and to the princes who are Brodyr Alarch. Not necessary, but I think you should. It will give you a better view of what the princes did to warrant getting the curse that turned them into swans, and how they got out of their predicament. They are very good books, I gave them Sealed 4 stars and 5 stars to Slippers and Songs.
And 5 stars for this one too!
Two things I'm loving the most about these books.
I don't know the Brothers Grimm tales that Sheppard is using to form the basis of these books. They are the lesser known ones, and I'm almost intrigued enough to go and read The Brothers Grimm tales, just to see if I can match them up! Almost, but I won't. Cos it might spoil my enjoyment of these books.
They are CLEAN. Totally and utterly and so beautifully clean. I will, more often than not, say I like my books on the steamier side and I make no apologies for that, but I am LOVING that these books are not at all like that! Oh don't get me wrong, there is love and passion here, but there is no explicit steam. Not for Terrwyn and Sulien, nor for Selene and Conway (from Sealed) as we catch up with them a couple times in the book.
In my review for Slippers, I said I wanted to hear from Tesni, but we didn't. But here, we get Sulien! And a few others too. I love hearing from everyone! It fills the bigger picture with more colour and detail, and I loved that.
Again, the Welsh Gods play a part, and again, I'm not going to try to name them cos I can't say them, let alone spell them, but they get up to their tricks in helping the Brodyr Alarch find their love, even if things do go a little off plan here!
Macsen is up next, given the little epilogue that those aforementioned Goods have, and I can't wait to get my hands on it! But Gerallt's book is the one I'm waiting for, and I strongly suspect his will be the last one! Gerallt is the prince who kept a swan wing, to remind himself of what he did. I want in his head so bad!
Anyway, enough rambling, but in case I forgot to say:
I loved this book!
5 full and shiny stars!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in the Brodyr Alarch series, but it's not necessary to have read Slippers and Songs, which is book one, nor is it necessary to read Sealed with a Curse, which is the sort of introduction to this world and to the princes who are Brodyr Alarch. Not necessary, but I think you should. It will give you a better view of what the princes did to warrant getting the curse that turned them into swans, and how they got out of their predicament. They are very good books, I gave them Sealed 4 stars and 5 stars to Slippers and Songs.
And 5 stars for this one too!
Two things I'm loving the most about these books.
I don't know the Brothers Grimm tales that Sheppard is using to form the basis of these books. They are the lesser known ones, and I'm almost intrigued enough to go and read The Brothers Grimm tales, just to see if I can match them up! Almost, but I won't. Cos it might spoil my enjoyment of these books.
They are CLEAN. Totally and utterly and so beautifully clean. I will, more often than not, say I like my books on the steamier side and I make no apologies for that, but I am LOVING that these books are not at all like that! Oh don't get me wrong, there is love and passion here, but there is no explicit steam. Not for Terrwyn and Sulien, nor for Selene and Conway (from Sealed) as we catch up with them a couple times in the book.
In my review for Slippers, I said I wanted to hear from Tesni, but we didn't. But here, we get Sulien! And a few others too. I love hearing from everyone! It fills the bigger picture with more colour and detail, and I loved that.
Again, the Welsh Gods play a part, and again, I'm not going to try to name them cos I can't say them, let alone spell them, but they get up to their tricks in helping the Brodyr Alarch find their love, even if things do go a little off plan here!
Macsen is up next, given the little epilogue that those aforementioned Goods have, and I can't wait to get my hands on it! But Gerallt's book is the one I'm waiting for, and I strongly suspect his will be the last one! Gerallt is the prince who kept a swan wing, to remind himself of what he did. I want in his head so bad!
Anyway, enough rambling, but in case I forgot to say:
I loved this book!
5 full and shiny stars!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Debbiereadsbook (1370 KP) rated The Deception (The Secret Tales #2) in Books
Jun 26, 2024
Patrick and Charlotte are perfect for each other!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in The Secret Tales series, but can totally be read as a stand alone. I would say, as a personal point, that you will get a better understanding of the ladies of this time, and what they have to do to stay safe. It's also a stunning 5 star read, so you know, get to it!
I loved The Bond, and I loved this one too, for very different reasons!
The Bond is a slow burn, low steam book. Very much a fade to black book. And this one? Not so much! It's a tad steamier, but not explicit, at all. Patrick and Charlotte are perfect for each other, even if they were never meant to be. And I loved that difference about the two books, I really did.
I loved how Patrick deals with his injury: by not letting it get the better of him. Being confined to a wheelchair after a life at sea would be hard for anyone to deal with, but Patrick and his family set out to make his life easier, but not limiting. I gather from reading this, that injuries of this sort at that time were far more devastating than they are in this time. But once Patrick got his head round what HE needed, he got to it, and devised his new wheelchair, adapted his house to accomodate his chair. I love that his sister devised a new saddle for him to continue to ride his horse.
Lottie's forging her father's work is their only real stumbling block, but once Patrick knows WHY she does it, he understands, but makes sure Lottie knows it cannot continue once they are married. But that takes a nasty turn, and I really did not see that coming at me!
I had to giggle though, out loud! It was so funny, reading about what Lottie thought was going to happen on her wedding night. She really had no clue and it was Rose who educated her. Proper made me laugh! I loved that Rose and Rhys (since Rhys is Patrick's brother) play a huge part here, it was so lovely to catch up with them.
I wrote at the end of my review for The Bond that I thought one of Rose's sisters was the second book, but I cannot remember which one! However, Lottie is not one of Rose's sisters and one of LOTTIE'S sisters has the next book.
I love this group of ladies, and the men who fall for them and I really look forward to catching up with the supporting cast in future books, cos there are some interesting side characters!
Loved it, so it can only get:
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in The Secret Tales series, but can totally be read as a stand alone. I would say, as a personal point, that you will get a better understanding of the ladies of this time, and what they have to do to stay safe. It's also a stunning 5 star read, so you know, get to it!
I loved The Bond, and I loved this one too, for very different reasons!
The Bond is a slow burn, low steam book. Very much a fade to black book. And this one? Not so much! It's a tad steamier, but not explicit, at all. Patrick and Charlotte are perfect for each other, even if they were never meant to be. And I loved that difference about the two books, I really did.
I loved how Patrick deals with his injury: by not letting it get the better of him. Being confined to a wheelchair after a life at sea would be hard for anyone to deal with, but Patrick and his family set out to make his life easier, but not limiting. I gather from reading this, that injuries of this sort at that time were far more devastating than they are in this time. But once Patrick got his head round what HE needed, he got to it, and devised his new wheelchair, adapted his house to accomodate his chair. I love that his sister devised a new saddle for him to continue to ride his horse.
Lottie's forging her father's work is their only real stumbling block, but once Patrick knows WHY she does it, he understands, but makes sure Lottie knows it cannot continue once they are married. But that takes a nasty turn, and I really did not see that coming at me!
I had to giggle though, out loud! It was so funny, reading about what Lottie thought was going to happen on her wedding night. She really had no clue and it was Rose who educated her. Proper made me laugh! I loved that Rose and Rhys (since Rhys is Patrick's brother) play a huge part here, it was so lovely to catch up with them.
I wrote at the end of my review for The Bond that I thought one of Rose's sisters was the second book, but I cannot remember which one! However, Lottie is not one of Rose's sisters and one of LOTTIE'S sisters has the next book.
I love this group of ladies, and the men who fall for them and I really look forward to catching up with the supporting cast in future books, cos there are some interesting side characters!
Loved it, so it can only get:
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Train Simulator Racer 2017 - City Subway Driver 3D
Games
App
Do you ever think of Train Simulator Racing? This game gives you a chance to drive trains at high...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Hey, That's My Fish! in Tabletop Games
Jul 1, 2020
How do you like your games, reader? Heavy and themeless? Dark and themey? ZANY AND KOOKY?! Well, this game is a combination of several categories of game type. I consider it cute and cutthroat. There aren’t many games that can fall into those two categories simultaneously, and maybe that’s why we like this one. Spoilers, sweetie.
Hey, That’s My Fish! is a game of attempting to gather the most fish possible before climate change engulfs your little penguin minis. I mean, before the land sinks into the sea. To setup, place all the shuffled fish tiles in a grid of alternating 8 and 7-tile rows. Then, each player will, in turn, place their penguins on tiles showing one fish until their play pieces are on the board. That’s the setup. Quick and easy.
Like I said, the idea here is to gather the most fish to be crowned the winner. You can gather fish tiles by simply moving off them and onto another tile. Choose a direction to travel from your hex, and travel to any fish tile along a straight line – stopping before jumping over any penguin and not travelling over a blank space. Collect the fish tile from where you originally left and add it to your pile. Play continues in this fashion until all players are stalemated and can no longer make any further legal moves on the ever-shrinking board of fish snacks.
So here’s the rub with this one. It’s simple. Like, really simple. Pick up your penguieeple (sheesh) and move them to another hex tile in a straight line without jumping over any obstacle. Take the tile from which you left. Repeat. It sounds so stinking boring. But when you actually have your little peng… minis… and you are trying to get those elusive 3-fish tiles, but you have no way of getting there because your dang brother cut off your route so that only he and Josh can get them because they’re jerks – sorry. I got a bit carried away. But it really do be like that sometimes.
Components. This is an easy one. There are a bunch of cardboard hex tiles and some great little penguineeples. The penguins are brightly colored, and the hexes are very easy to understand and read. No issues here at all. Bonus: the pengeeples have such awesome little sassy poses hahahaha!
So what do I think? As a seasoned gamer and the most elder of our group, I absolutely adore it. It’s not the greatest game ever published, but sometimes you want to let off some steam and play a little cutthroat. So don’t let the cute penguins fool you – this is survival and you NEEEEED those little fishies! I have now owned this game twice (which my wife totally loves when she hears that), because I did miss having it available to me. So it is no surprise that we at Purple Phoenix Games give this little darling a fishy-fishy-bite-my-hook 18 / 24. Go on, grab a copy and destroy friendships!
Hey, That’s My Fish! is a game of attempting to gather the most fish possible before climate change engulfs your little penguin minis. I mean, before the land sinks into the sea. To setup, place all the shuffled fish tiles in a grid of alternating 8 and 7-tile rows. Then, each player will, in turn, place their penguins on tiles showing one fish until their play pieces are on the board. That’s the setup. Quick and easy.
Like I said, the idea here is to gather the most fish to be crowned the winner. You can gather fish tiles by simply moving off them and onto another tile. Choose a direction to travel from your hex, and travel to any fish tile along a straight line – stopping before jumping over any penguin and not travelling over a blank space. Collect the fish tile from where you originally left and add it to your pile. Play continues in this fashion until all players are stalemated and can no longer make any further legal moves on the ever-shrinking board of fish snacks.
So here’s the rub with this one. It’s simple. Like, really simple. Pick up your penguieeple (sheesh) and move them to another hex tile in a straight line without jumping over any obstacle. Take the tile from which you left. Repeat. It sounds so stinking boring. But when you actually have your little peng… minis… and you are trying to get those elusive 3-fish tiles, but you have no way of getting there because your dang brother cut off your route so that only he and Josh can get them because they’re jerks – sorry. I got a bit carried away. But it really do be like that sometimes.
Components. This is an easy one. There are a bunch of cardboard hex tiles and some great little penguineeples. The penguins are brightly colored, and the hexes are very easy to understand and read. No issues here at all. Bonus: the pengeeples have such awesome little sassy poses hahahaha!
So what do I think? As a seasoned gamer and the most elder of our group, I absolutely adore it. It’s not the greatest game ever published, but sometimes you want to let off some steam and play a little cutthroat. So don’t let the cute penguins fool you – this is survival and you NEEEEED those little fishies! I have now owned this game twice (which my wife totally loves when she hears that), because I did miss having it available to me. So it is no surprise that we at Purple Phoenix Games give this little darling a fishy-fishy-bite-my-hook 18 / 24. Go on, grab a copy and destroy friendships!
Ultimate General™: Gettysburg
Games
App
A Tactical Wargame that allows you to command thousands of soldiers as a Union or Confederate...
I.N.S.P.I.R.E.
Book
Are you tired of change initiatives falling flat? Frustrated by resistance and lackluster results?...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Paddington 2 (2017) in Movies
Feb 3, 2019
Wonderful, whimsical film for kids and adults alike
As I was perusing various "Top Films of 2018" lists, one surprising film kept showing up on these lists, so I thought I'd better check it out.
And I'm glad I did for PADDINGTON 2 is a charming family film that entranced me from beginning to end with wonderful performances and a charm and whimsy that hooked me from start to finish.
A follow-up to the moderate 2014 hit (based on the beloved children's books series) about a Peruvian bear that heads to 19th Century London seeking adventure - and finds a family - PADDINGTON 2 follows said Bear as he is caught up in a robbery and is mistakenly jailed for the crime. Can Paddington make friends with the burly inmates in the prison? Can the Brown family help find the true perpetrator of the crime and help spring Paddington? Can faith and love triumph in a time of skepticism and darkness?
It's a family film, what do you think?
The joy in this film is in the telling - and Paul King (returning as Director/Writer) does a wonderful job telling a joyous, family-friendly story without diving into sacrine-ness (is that a word? It is now) and schmaltz. He tells the story with a sly wink in his eye and dives deep into whimsical detail of late 19th century London - a London racing full throttle into the steam age. There is a light cyber-punk sensibility to the proceedings and this works wonderfully well.
As you would expect, King does a nice job getting the actors to click into the sensibilities and style of this film. Ben Wishaw is back as the voice of Paddington - and he is perfectly cast. Wishaw has a naivete and sense of wonder to his voice that serves the Paddington character well. Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Julie Walters all reprise their roles - in winning fashion. But it is the newcomers that shine. Brendan Gleeson shows off some comic chops as main prison bad guy "Knuckles" McGinty who forms an unlikely friendship/partnership with Paddington and, especially Hugh Grant as vain, egotistical actor Phoenix Buchanan. I won't spoil the antics of Grant's character but I have a feeling that Mr. Grant had as much fun bringing this character to screen as I did watching him.
Two final things - the finale really works for me as King sets up each character's "special skill" at the beginning of the film that they will need to bring to bear (no pun intended) during the action at the end. To often, character's and character threads are set up at the beginning of a film only to be abandoned by the end, so it is satisfying to me when King sets up items at the beginning of this film and then PAYS THEM OFF at the end.
And, finally, STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS. There is a scene in the credits that is as good as anything that is in the film. I won't spoil the fun for you, but want you to know about this so you won't miss it.
A wonderful, whimsical, time at the movies. If you have kids (5,6,7 years old), this is a MUST SEE. For the rest of you, if you're looking for fun escape from the world, this film will do it.
Letter Grade A-
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And I'm glad I did for PADDINGTON 2 is a charming family film that entranced me from beginning to end with wonderful performances and a charm and whimsy that hooked me from start to finish.
A follow-up to the moderate 2014 hit (based on the beloved children's books series) about a Peruvian bear that heads to 19th Century London seeking adventure - and finds a family - PADDINGTON 2 follows said Bear as he is caught up in a robbery and is mistakenly jailed for the crime. Can Paddington make friends with the burly inmates in the prison? Can the Brown family help find the true perpetrator of the crime and help spring Paddington? Can faith and love triumph in a time of skepticism and darkness?
It's a family film, what do you think?
The joy in this film is in the telling - and Paul King (returning as Director/Writer) does a wonderful job telling a joyous, family-friendly story without diving into sacrine-ness (is that a word? It is now) and schmaltz. He tells the story with a sly wink in his eye and dives deep into whimsical detail of late 19th century London - a London racing full throttle into the steam age. There is a light cyber-punk sensibility to the proceedings and this works wonderfully well.
As you would expect, King does a nice job getting the actors to click into the sensibilities and style of this film. Ben Wishaw is back as the voice of Paddington - and he is perfectly cast. Wishaw has a naivete and sense of wonder to his voice that serves the Paddington character well. Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Julie Walters all reprise their roles - in winning fashion. But it is the newcomers that shine. Brendan Gleeson shows off some comic chops as main prison bad guy "Knuckles" McGinty who forms an unlikely friendship/partnership with Paddington and, especially Hugh Grant as vain, egotistical actor Phoenix Buchanan. I won't spoil the antics of Grant's character but I have a feeling that Mr. Grant had as much fun bringing this character to screen as I did watching him.
Two final things - the finale really works for me as King sets up each character's "special skill" at the beginning of the film that they will need to bring to bear (no pun intended) during the action at the end. To often, character's and character threads are set up at the beginning of a film only to be abandoned by the end, so it is satisfying to me when King sets up items at the beginning of this film and then PAYS THEM OFF at the end.
And, finally, STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS. There is a scene in the credits that is as good as anything that is in the film. I won't spoil the fun for you, but want you to know about this so you won't miss it.
A wonderful, whimsical, time at the movies. If you have kids (5,6,7 years old), this is a MUST SEE. For the rest of you, if you're looking for fun escape from the world, this film will do it.
Letter Grade A-
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)