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Kaysee Hood (83 KP) rated Nintendo Selects: Animal Crossing: New Leaf in Video Games
Oct 4, 2017
Animals (2 more)
Designing a Town
Designing a Home
Home Loans (1 more)
Bees
In AC:NL you're the young mayor in a town with the task to ensure your villagers are happy and the town reaches a perfect rating.
As mayor you're goal is to befriend your villagers through different tasks (finding lost items, fetching fruit, etc) until you obtain their picture. There is also the goal to build up the town with different Public Work Projects (benches, lighthouse, etc) to attract certain types of villagers (lazy, jock, snooty, normal, and more). Also you have to ensure the town is beautiful by planting trees and flower, and weeding.
Don't forget to build up your home! Besides appealing those who live in your town, you're able to expand your home and decorate it with different types of furniture. There are different sets you can collect (alpine, royal, princess are a few). Your home even gets rated by the Happy Homes Association where you're awarded trophies or other prizes the higher your rank goes up.
Don't worry you can always visit the island if you need a break from being mayor to go on different tours. There are also tournaments in town where you can show off your different skills. Villagers might play hide-and-seek with you. Holidays are cause for more events.
There's so much to do!
As mayor you're goal is to befriend your villagers through different tasks (finding lost items, fetching fruit, etc) until you obtain their picture. There is also the goal to build up the town with different Public Work Projects (benches, lighthouse, etc) to attract certain types of villagers (lazy, jock, snooty, normal, and more). Also you have to ensure the town is beautiful by planting trees and flower, and weeding.
Don't forget to build up your home! Besides appealing those who live in your town, you're able to expand your home and decorate it with different types of furniture. There are different sets you can collect (alpine, royal, princess are a few). Your home even gets rated by the Happy Homes Association where you're awarded trophies or other prizes the higher your rank goes up.
Don't worry you can always visit the island if you need a break from being mayor to go on different tours. There are also tournaments in town where you can show off your different skills. Villagers might play hide-and-seek with you. Holidays are cause for more events.
There's so much to do!
Gloria (27 KP) rated Prison Break - Season 4 in TV
Jul 18, 2017
Twisted Endings
True to Prison Break form, the new season is laid out as a series of tasks. Still keeping up the suspense and wit.
I find the new season and the out of prison setting actually fresh. You really cannot trust any of the characters here. You think they're on the good side, but it turns out you're wrong. Still managed to be kept entertained, despite the suspension of disbelief required.
Sadly, in this season, a million little things have to fall in place every time for the plot to go on. Other times they just don't. Yet, they were able to keep appearances. But this season has gone a little overboard. Some events aren't justified or aren't build up to them; they just happen. And if you don't accept them, too bad, cause that's how it is. Almost as if they are throwing as much as they can at you. Still filled with many twists and backstabs. That can either cause engagement or head spin. What used to be a band of criminals is now the best covert ops group in the world, pulling multiple Mission Impossible's (c) per episode and randomly navigating through a web of confusing conspiracies.
But, it still manages to keep one wanting to find out what comes next. So it didn't lose that touch.
I find the new season and the out of prison setting actually fresh. You really cannot trust any of the characters here. You think they're on the good side, but it turns out you're wrong. Still managed to be kept entertained, despite the suspension of disbelief required.
Sadly, in this season, a million little things have to fall in place every time for the plot to go on. Other times they just don't. Yet, they were able to keep appearances. But this season has gone a little overboard. Some events aren't justified or aren't build up to them; they just happen. And if you don't accept them, too bad, cause that's how it is. Almost as if they are throwing as much as they can at you. Still filled with many twists and backstabs. That can either cause engagement or head spin. What used to be a band of criminals is now the best covert ops group in the world, pulling multiple Mission Impossible's (c) per episode and randomly navigating through a web of confusing conspiracies.
But, it still manages to keep one wanting to find out what comes next. So it didn't lose that touch.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Housewife in Books
Mar 15, 2019
Book Insight: Diane is a wife and doting mother that has been through a lot, and after a recent breakdown her memory seems to have blocked quite a bit out. So much so that it starts interfering with her day to day life. She starts forgetting simple tasks and finds sleep doesn't come easily anymore. Is something dark going on right under her nose? Or is she losing her mind and headed for another breakdown?
WOW!!!! An EXCELLENT story with a great plot and well developed characters!
I found this to be an absolute gem of a novel. The plot gives a slow-building, creeping sense that something isn't quite right.
The author has taken a situation, a day in the life of a housewife and turned it inside-out and upside-down. I found myself reminded of the old 1944 Ingrid Bergman film Gaslight. The difference in the two though is the constant twists and turns of the plot with the characters. You think you have it all figured out but you really don't.
I honestly did not know which way things were going to swing for Diane until the very end and the ending was just a real cliffhanger for me.
I will definitely be following this author as her books are just amazing!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this wonderful ARC.
WOW!!!! An EXCELLENT story with a great plot and well developed characters!
I found this to be an absolute gem of a novel. The plot gives a slow-building, creeping sense that something isn't quite right.
The author has taken a situation, a day in the life of a housewife and turned it inside-out and upside-down. I found myself reminded of the old 1944 Ingrid Bergman film Gaslight. The difference in the two though is the constant twists and turns of the plot with the characters. You think you have it all figured out but you really don't.
I honestly did not know which way things were going to swing for Diane until the very end and the ending was just a real cliffhanger for me.
I will definitely be following this author as her books are just amazing!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this wonderful ARC.
Gareth Michael Lewis (6 KP) rated Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff in Video Games
Jan 20, 2018
It's better on an android tablet
So, I played this on facebook and hated it because it slowed everything down and glitched too often to be truly fun.
I then found it for windows phone and downloaded it. It plays really well and is good fun for a click and wait game. Set your characters to tasks to earn and unlock other characters and buildings from Quahog.
Sadly, windows support for the game is non-existent and you cannot unlock area 9 which means your progress stalls and stops.
You can spend real money on the game in windows, which is utterly pointless as you can only buy stuff which is unlocked up to area 8. I cannot stress enough DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON THE WINDOWS VERSION.
If, however, you have an Android phone or tablet, have at it. Limited time events run often to add new fun elements to the game. It is supported with regular updates and bug fixes, all areas can be unlocked and all characters can be earned by watching videos to earn clams (in-game currency) if you are patient enough to wait for them.
I then found it for windows phone and downloaded it. It plays really well and is good fun for a click and wait game. Set your characters to tasks to earn and unlock other characters and buildings from Quahog.
Sadly, windows support for the game is non-existent and you cannot unlock area 9 which means your progress stalls and stops.
You can spend real money on the game in windows, which is utterly pointless as you can only buy stuff which is unlocked up to area 8. I cannot stress enough DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON THE WINDOWS VERSION.
If, however, you have an Android phone or tablet, have at it. Limited time events run often to add new fun elements to the game. It is supported with regular updates and bug fixes, all areas can be unlocked and all characters can be earned by watching videos to earn clams (in-game currency) if you are patient enough to wait for them.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel in Books
Jun 16, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel by Charise Mericle Harper is about June who loves to play with her dog Sam, especially since she is the only one to whom the dog can talk. When her grandmother sends her a big chalkboard on a wheel, with detailed instructions on how to use it, June is thrilled, and she and Sam have a lot of fun completing the suggested tasks. It's even more fun when a new girl moves in next door and ends up in June's class. Mae seems really nice, but classmate April is bound and determined that Mae will be her friend. The girls have to learn to get along, and eventually Mae and June become fast friends.
This is a very positive, fun story for beginning readers. The illustrations are very helpful in showing what is going on in the story and add a lot to it. Other nice touches are June's sometimes cranky teenage sister, the fact that Mae is a character of color without this fact taking over the story, and the adventure of the wonder wheel. This was a cute book about friendship, about pets, about family. June was a fabulous little kid, though a bit too much over the top at times. Still I liked how she stayed true to herself
This is a very positive, fun story for beginning readers. The illustrations are very helpful in showing what is going on in the story and add a lot to it. Other nice touches are June's sometimes cranky teenage sister, the fact that Mae is a character of color without this fact taking over the story, and the adventure of the wonder wheel. This was a cute book about friendship, about pets, about family. June was a fabulous little kid, though a bit too much over the top at times. Still I liked how she stayed true to herself
Otway93 (567 KP) rated Wingspan in Tabletop Games
Feb 13, 2022
Gameplay (4 more)
Replayability
Expansions
Variety of Birds
Quality
Plastic Containers (1 more)
Cost
Superb!
My mum bought me this for Christmas, I'd put off buying it for so long because of the price, but new board games do seem to be very expensive these days.
The game is beautiful, it's fun to play, the artwork is stunning, and all the pieces are of an excellent quality.
The game itself it won by scoring points by doing certain tasks, including collecting different species of birds, laying eggs, collecting food, and several other ways. The game is made up of 5 rounds I believe, and each round you use your tokens to complete actions. It's a very simple game, and great for the whole family!
If you're in Europe, I strongly suggest purchasing the European expansion, as in the base game quite a few of the birds are only found in North America, so the expansion brings it a bit closer to home :)
As I mentioned, the cost (approximately £45 for the base game, around £25 for the expansion), does let it down slightly, but it certainly feels worth every penny! The only thing that really disappoints me is the plastic containers included for storing different tokens and eggs. They aren't really necessary, and are bulkier than they need to be.
The game is beautiful, it's fun to play, the artwork is stunning, and all the pieces are of an excellent quality.
The game itself it won by scoring points by doing certain tasks, including collecting different species of birds, laying eggs, collecting food, and several other ways. The game is made up of 5 rounds I believe, and each round you use your tokens to complete actions. It's a very simple game, and great for the whole family!
If you're in Europe, I strongly suggest purchasing the European expansion, as in the base game quite a few of the birds are only found in North America, so the expansion brings it a bit closer to home :)
As I mentioned, the cost (approximately £45 for the base game, around £25 for the expansion), does let it down slightly, but it certainly feels worth every penny! The only thing that really disappoints me is the plastic containers included for storing different tokens and eggs. They aren't really necessary, and are bulkier than they need to be.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Star Trek Bridge Crew VR in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Star Trek fans finally get the chance to take command in the new Star Trek: Bridge Crew by Ubisoft. The Virtual Reality game is cross-platform so Playstation VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive owners can all play with one another which greatly enhance the play experience and options.
Matchmaking was easy as once I completed the training sessions, I was ready to go. I had played the game last summer at PAX West on the Oculus and playing on our Playstation VR was very easy to setup and go. I opted to use the Move controllers vs the Gamepad and in no time I was on the bridge of the USS Ageis.
The game is set in the JJ Abrams Universe and tasks players with finding a new home for the Vulcans in a previously unexplored area of space known as “The Trench”
Players can play as Captain, Helm, Tactical, or Engineering and each has their own tasks essential to mission success and survival. Helm has to pilot the ship, Tactical handles the weapons, Engineering keeps things running and distributes power and repairs, as well as the Transporters, and the Captain calls the shots. Naturally there are navigation maps and other flourishes which help with the immersion as well as being part of the fun.
Players who expect run and gun action will be disappointed as this is a game that works more on tactics than twitch as combat and exploration move at a slower and more deliberate pace than action gamers may be expecting. Encountering hostiles is often a delicate dance of exchanging fire, maneuvering, and damage control, while balancing the decision to fight or flee. Players also have to keep an eye on the energy levels as should a retreat be needed, then power has to be moved from one system to the engines to warp to safety unless you want to try to last on Impulse Power.
The game is challenging and graphics are very solid for a VR game. Players looking for even more nostalgic immersion can play on the Enterprise from the Classic Series but this is suggested for experience crews so it helps to play with others that you know or who have completed multiple missions.
The game does allow players more opened ended options than I expected and it is great fun to have a total stranger who you have just been matched with call you “Captain” and await your orders. The game did have a few glitches at launch but they have been quickly fixed via updates, and I have had mostly smooth sailing aside from an occasional dropped connection or a controller going out of range of the camera.
For pure immersive fun and solid co-op play, Star Trek Bridge Crew offers one of the best Star Trek experiences to date and is a must own for anyone who owns a VR system.
http://sknr.net/2017/06/12/star-trek-bridge-crew/
Matchmaking was easy as once I completed the training sessions, I was ready to go. I had played the game last summer at PAX West on the Oculus and playing on our Playstation VR was very easy to setup and go. I opted to use the Move controllers vs the Gamepad and in no time I was on the bridge of the USS Ageis.
The game is set in the JJ Abrams Universe and tasks players with finding a new home for the Vulcans in a previously unexplored area of space known as “The Trench”
Players can play as Captain, Helm, Tactical, or Engineering and each has their own tasks essential to mission success and survival. Helm has to pilot the ship, Tactical handles the weapons, Engineering keeps things running and distributes power and repairs, as well as the Transporters, and the Captain calls the shots. Naturally there are navigation maps and other flourishes which help with the immersion as well as being part of the fun.
Players who expect run and gun action will be disappointed as this is a game that works more on tactics than twitch as combat and exploration move at a slower and more deliberate pace than action gamers may be expecting. Encountering hostiles is often a delicate dance of exchanging fire, maneuvering, and damage control, while balancing the decision to fight or flee. Players also have to keep an eye on the energy levels as should a retreat be needed, then power has to be moved from one system to the engines to warp to safety unless you want to try to last on Impulse Power.
The game is challenging and graphics are very solid for a VR game. Players looking for even more nostalgic immersion can play on the Enterprise from the Classic Series but this is suggested for experience crews so it helps to play with others that you know or who have completed multiple missions.
The game does allow players more opened ended options than I expected and it is great fun to have a total stranger who you have just been matched with call you “Captain” and await your orders. The game did have a few glitches at launch but they have been quickly fixed via updates, and I have had mostly smooth sailing aside from an occasional dropped connection or a controller going out of range of the camera.
For pure immersive fun and solid co-op play, Star Trek Bridge Crew offers one of the best Star Trek experiences to date and is a must own for anyone who owns a VR system.
http://sknr.net/2017/06/12/star-trek-bridge-crew/
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Children of Hare Hill in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Set in the National Trust owned gardens in Cheshire, Scott McKenzie writes about the loss of a parent from the perspective of young children. <i>The Children of Hare Hill </i>deals with the grief and confusion of those too young to fully comprehend the impact a death has upon the remaining family members. Charlotte, aged 8, and Ben, aged 5, lost their father two years ago and now it is time to say goodbye.
McKenzie sets the story in Hare Hill Gardens, a place he loves to visit with his own children. It is here that the two protagonists are scattering their father’s ashes. Around the gardens are thirteen wooden hares that visitors are encouraged to find, something that the children enjoyed doing with their father numerous times. After their difficult task, Charlotte and Ben fall asleep in the walled garden and, on waking, discover the secret of Hare Hill.
Although still in the same place they fell asleep, Charlotte and Ben are now in a magical version of the gardens where the hares are real animals that have been turned into wooden statues. In order to release them from the spell they have to complete several tricky quests. From riddles to number puzzles the children rely on each other’s knowledge and strengths to save the hares and discover who is waiting for them at the end.
When thinking about magical lands we tend to expect witches and wizards, broomsticks and complicated spells, however that is not the case in <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i>. The tasks that befall the siblings are ones that can be solved by “normal” children with the help of their memories of their father. It is an interesting concept and a beautiful way of remembering the life of a loved one.
It is not clear who the target audience is for this novel. Presumably the ages of the characters and the shortness of the story (166 pages) are more inclined to the younger reader, however the narrative and language suggests otherwise. A child of Charlotte’s age is unlikely to read books containing words such as “serendipitous”, “reminisced” and “crescendo”. Scott McKenzie is such an intellectual writer with a beautiful way with words, yet it backfires when targeted at children.
Putting the target audience issue aside, <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i> is a delightful short story that manages to evoke many emotions in the reader. The sadness that comes with reading about death is overshadowed by the bravery of the siblings, their love for one another and the fun they have solving the riddles and tasks as they race around the gardens. Instead of dwelling on the negative feelings the characters are inevitably feeling, McKenzie focuses on happy memories, making what could have been a heart-wrenching story into a heart warming one instead.
Set in the National Trust owned gardens in Cheshire, Scott McKenzie writes about the loss of a parent from the perspective of young children. <i>The Children of Hare Hill </i>deals with the grief and confusion of those too young to fully comprehend the impact a death has upon the remaining family members. Charlotte, aged 8, and Ben, aged 5, lost their father two years ago and now it is time to say goodbye.
McKenzie sets the story in Hare Hill Gardens, a place he loves to visit with his own children. It is here that the two protagonists are scattering their father’s ashes. Around the gardens are thirteen wooden hares that visitors are encouraged to find, something that the children enjoyed doing with their father numerous times. After their difficult task, Charlotte and Ben fall asleep in the walled garden and, on waking, discover the secret of Hare Hill.
Although still in the same place they fell asleep, Charlotte and Ben are now in a magical version of the gardens where the hares are real animals that have been turned into wooden statues. In order to release them from the spell they have to complete several tricky quests. From riddles to number puzzles the children rely on each other’s knowledge and strengths to save the hares and discover who is waiting for them at the end.
When thinking about magical lands we tend to expect witches and wizards, broomsticks and complicated spells, however that is not the case in <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i>. The tasks that befall the siblings are ones that can be solved by “normal” children with the help of their memories of their father. It is an interesting concept and a beautiful way of remembering the life of a loved one.
It is not clear who the target audience is for this novel. Presumably the ages of the characters and the shortness of the story (166 pages) are more inclined to the younger reader, however the narrative and language suggests otherwise. A child of Charlotte’s age is unlikely to read books containing words such as “serendipitous”, “reminisced” and “crescendo”. Scott McKenzie is such an intellectual writer with a beautiful way with words, yet it backfires when targeted at children.
Putting the target audience issue aside, <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i> is a delightful short story that manages to evoke many emotions in the reader. The sadness that comes with reading about death is overshadowed by the bravery of the siblings, their love for one another and the fun they have solving the riddles and tasks as they race around the gardens. Instead of dwelling on the negative feelings the characters are inevitably feeling, McKenzie focuses on happy memories, making what could have been a heart-wrenching story into a heart warming one instead.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated A Good Enough Mother in Books
May 22, 2019
The most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
Dr Ruth Hartland rises to difficult tasks. She is the director of a highly respected trauma therapy unit. She is confident, capable and excellent at her job. Today she is preoccupied by her son Tom's disappearance.
So when a new patient arrives at the unit - a young man who looks shockingly like Tom - she is floored.
As a therapist, Ruth knows exactly what she should do in the best interests of her client, but as a mother she makes a very different choice - a decision that will have profound consequences.
This was an outstanding and compelling read.
I think this is one of those books that will be talked about for a while and would fit into a book club read to be discussed.
The story is very well written and thought provoking. I found it really pulling at my heart strings.
Each character in this novel is shown with all their flaws and strengths in achingly real scenes and images.
A well written, emotional, thought-provoking story.
A really good mix between an emotional troubled teenager and the relationship with his mother, and a thriller as the unpredictable Dan story line builds to a horrifying conclusion. Really memorable, and I didnt see all the twists coming.
Would thoroughly recommend.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc, in exchange for this honest review.
Dr Ruth Hartland rises to difficult tasks. She is the director of a highly respected trauma therapy unit. She is confident, capable and excellent at her job. Today she is preoccupied by her son Tom's disappearance.
So when a new patient arrives at the unit - a young man who looks shockingly like Tom - she is floored.
As a therapist, Ruth knows exactly what she should do in the best interests of her client, but as a mother she makes a very different choice - a decision that will have profound consequences.
This was an outstanding and compelling read.
I think this is one of those books that will be talked about for a while and would fit into a book club read to be discussed.
The story is very well written and thought provoking. I found it really pulling at my heart strings.
Each character in this novel is shown with all their flaws and strengths in achingly real scenes and images.
A well written, emotional, thought-provoking story.
A really good mix between an emotional troubled teenager and the relationship with his mother, and a thriller as the unpredictable Dan story line builds to a horrifying conclusion. Really memorable, and I didnt see all the twists coming.
Would thoroughly recommend.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc, in exchange for this honest review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Shucked Apart in Books
Feb 25, 2021 (Updated Feb 25, 2021)
Hunting for the Oyster Seed Thief
Julia Snowden should be focusing on getting the last-minute tasks done to open the summer season of her family’s clambake, but when her boyfriend asks her to help his friend, Andie, Julia can’t resist. Andie runs an oyster farm not too far away, and someone has just stolen $35,000 worth of new inventory from her. Andie seems reluctant to give Julia any suspects, however, so it isn’t that surprising that Julia hasn’t made much progress when she finds a dead body. Is the robbery connected to the murder?
This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the foundation for the plot. The pace does build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps everything up for us perfectly. This series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that seafood lovers will want to try. As always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia next. Fans won’t be disappointed.
This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the foundation for the plot. The pace does build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps everything up for us perfectly. This series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that seafood lovers will want to try. As always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia next. Fans won’t be disappointed.
