Ripped From the Pages (Bibliophile Mystery #9)
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When book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright temporarily relocates to her parents’ place in...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation) in Tech
Nov 4, 2019
Firstly it looks and feels great. I was expecting a rather flimsy feeling speaker but in fact it feels quite weighty and substantial, and the Sandstone version that I’ve bought looks rather sleek. It stands out and looks good but at the same time isn’t at any time the focal point in a room. The speaker aspect is rather good too and has a decent sound quality. I’ve placed this in my kitchen, as I have a fairly open downstairs and the sound easily reaches the entire floor - I can even speak to Alexa from my living room which is a good 7+ metres away with only a standard sized doorway for sound to reach through. Admittedly I had to mute the TV, but I’m still impressed she can hear me from there! The Echo Dot links up seamlessly with my Spotify account and I’m surprised it plays so well and doesn’t encourage you to try and sign up to Amazon Music instead.
The thing about the Echo Dot is that it isn’t just a glorified speaker and it’s only from owning one that I’ve truly appreciated this. As well as music, Alexa also helps out with so much more like reminders, timers and the weather as well as a whole host of fun features. There are so many fun things you can ask Alexa (google it if you haven’t already), too many to name although one of my favourites is “Alexa, find Chuck Norris”. There’s also the rather sad fact that as I live on my own, Alexa provides a rather welcome conversational partner and definitely less one sided than talking to the cat! I’m also a rather forgetful person, so having the ability to ask Alexa to set reminders when I can’t do something at the time (i.e. remembering to take the bins out when I’m in the middle of making dinner) is a god send. I’m surprised at how well the voice recognition works too. I’ve often experienced issues with voice recognition on mobile phones, because it doesn’t appear to like the northern accent, but Alexa so far has not had any issues. Maybe I need to speak “proper” Northern and see how she reacts...
I love this that much that I’m looking at buying a second Echo Dot for my upstairs so I have full coverage in my house, and can then take advantage of using Alexa as my morning wake up call amongst as well as being able to link both together to act as a multi room speaker system. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get a bargain during Black Friday in a couple of weeks!
Debbiereadsbook (1481 KP) rated The Supers )The Supers #1, Dreamspun Beyond #6) in Books
May 14, 2018
Flynn joins Blaine's paranormal research group, and they visit an abandoned hospital. Things get real creepy and the guys are faced with a possession, a haunting a tragic love story and a twist I did not see coming!
Another one of those books that kinda creeps up on ya and you have no idea, not a single clue about how its all gonna go down!
While there is immediate attraction between Blaine and Flynn, it takes a while for them to act on it.
The story of Room 204 builds at an even pace and there were points where I had to rewind, and double check that Blaine had in fact, called Flynn David. The story of Room 204 (that's how I heard it, with a capital R, if that makes sense!) did not play out how I was expecting it to!
It's a little . . . fluffier. . . than other books I've read of Michael (Three Wishes) but it is a DreamSpun Beyond and they are generally so. Just enough heat and passion between Blaine and Flynn to keep the heat level high, but not scorching. Right for this book.
Kenneth Obi narrates.
Mostly, I enjoyed Obi's narration. His reading voice is clear and deep and he got over the emotions of Blaine and Flynn in all the right ways, in all the right places.
His voice for the 204 ghost comes across as really REALLY nasty in some places, though, and that is probably why I did not see that ending coming at me.I thought the ghost was going to be a bit more vengeful.
And the voices Obi gives to Blaine and Flynn are far too similar for my crappy hearing to make out the difference between them, so I struggled a bit keeping up with conversations between them
BUT!!! I will give Obi another go, as this is the first of his work I listened to.
5 stars for the book
4 stars for the narration
4.5 (rounded down to 4) overall
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Reagan is white, educated and wants to make a difference in the world.
Jane and Regan are just two of the many girls who work at Golden Oaks as ‘Hosts’.They are basically surrogates for the rich and influential.
But is all as it seems at Golden Oaks, (nick named ‘The Farm’ by some of the hosts) and can you truly sell a part of yourself without ramifications.
The story essentially focuses on Jane and her struggles, but it is also told from the perspective of Reagan (Jane’s room mate) Ate (Janes Cousin) and Mae (The manager at Golden Oaks).
This took me a little while to really get into the characters at first, but once I had the story flowed nicely and it was easy to get engrossed in. The thing that drew me to the book was that it had been highlighted at ‘A Handmaids Tale for 2019’ and you can definitely see that. The set up at Golden Oaks is all very plausible and sounds idyllic, the Hosts are all there willingly and being paid handsomely. However, you can see how an institute like Golden Oaks could descend into Margaret Atwoods dystopian nightmare.
The Mile End Murder: The Case Conan Doyle Couldn't Solve
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On Thursday 17 August, 1860, wealthy widow Mary Emsley was found dead in her own home, killed by a...
The Hard Road to Klondike: Rotha Mor an tSaol
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Micheal MacGowan was born in 1865 in the Donegal Gaeltacht. The eldest of twelve in a...
A Museum of Dubious Splendors
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Before the Heat Death by CP Unit
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The Impostor's Handbook: The Rules of Success for Those of Us Who Have No Idea How to Play the Game
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All the advice you really need to be confident and authentic at work, even when you have no idea...
The Caller
9.0
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THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER After a tough week, Tanya Kaitlin is looking forward to a...