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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Feb 26, 2022
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Around The World in 80 Days in Books
Nov 20, 2017
The Diary of a Great Adventure
It's easy to take for granted the shrinking of our world but Palin's book reinforced the need for us to appreciate first hand the connections between nations, and the people that maintain them.
The trip was intended to follow the route traveled by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's novel from 1872. The self-imposed rule was that airplane travel was not allowed so only trains, buses, ships and cars could be used. This was problematic for Michael Palin because in 1872 there were many passenger ship lines, while in 1988 there were almost none because of air travel. As a result he had to obtain passage on various cargo and container ships that normally don't accept passengers.
The large amount of sea travel is a negative aspect because it's limited how many interesting things can be done aboard a container ship, for example. In fact, a significant number of the 80 days are spent on board ships, and it gets rather boring.
However, it is a very human account of a famous journey.
The trip was intended to follow the route traveled by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's novel from 1872. The self-imposed rule was that airplane travel was not allowed so only trains, buses, ships and cars could be used. This was problematic for Michael Palin because in 1872 there were many passenger ship lines, while in 1988 there were almost none because of air travel. As a result he had to obtain passage on various cargo and container ships that normally don't accept passengers.
The large amount of sea travel is a negative aspect because it's limited how many interesting things can be done aboard a container ship, for example. In fact, a significant number of the 80 days are spent on board ships, and it gets rather boring.
However, it is a very human account of a famous journey.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Labyrinth in Tabletop Games
May 7, 2018
Frustrating but lots of fun
I've seen this game a lot in shops but it never jumped out at me enough to buy. However having been roped into playing it by my nephews, I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was.
At first when the rules were explained I got a little confused, but you soon get the hang of it when actually playing. Its a highly entertaining strategy based game with a unique board that gets very competitive and frustrating when people keep preventing you from reaching your items! It's even fun as a team based game, and it actually potentially helps to discuss strategy with a team member rather than play on your own. The only criticism I have of this is that some of the artwork and graphics are a little basic and not as good as you would expect.
I would definitely recommend playing this game, although maybe not after sitting out in the sun all day with some alcoholic beverages - you need to be fairly alert and on the ball to play this!
At first when the rules were explained I got a little confused, but you soon get the hang of it when actually playing. Its a highly entertaining strategy based game with a unique board that gets very competitive and frustrating when people keep preventing you from reaching your items! It's even fun as a team based game, and it actually potentially helps to discuss strategy with a team member rather than play on your own. The only criticism I have of this is that some of the artwork and graphics are a little basic and not as good as you would expect.
I would definitely recommend playing this game, although maybe not after sitting out in the sun all day with some alcoholic beverages - you need to be fairly alert and on the ball to play this!
Sam (74 KP) rated Kill The Boyband in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I’ve never read a book with dark humour quite like this. It was brilliant. The jokes are definitely inappropriate, and that’s why I loved them so much. It’s unusual to get humour like this in YA so it was definitely worth it. The only bit of humour I wasn’t completely on board with were the sexual harassment jokes, but it did fit the theme of teenage fantasies so I’m not going to complain too much about that.
It is definitely written for the boy band generation, which I somehow sort of managed to avoid. I say ‘sort of’ because I’ve still gone through that phase of obsessing over a band. I just love the way it portrays crazy fan girls.
It could easily be One Direction fanfiction with how bizarre it is, but I’m not complaining about that! It just made it even more funny and painfully relatable.
I started this book expecting not to like it, and I finished loving it! I just wish it had a nicer cover!
It is definitely written for the boy band generation, which I somehow sort of managed to avoid. I say ‘sort of’ because I’ve still gone through that phase of obsessing over a band. I just love the way it portrays crazy fan girls.
It could easily be One Direction fanfiction with how bizarre it is, but I’m not complaining about that! It just made it even more funny and painfully relatable.
I started this book expecting not to like it, and I finished loving it! I just wish it had a nicer cover!
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated Star Wars: Imperial Assault in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018
Star Wars: Imperial Assault: The Kotaku Review
Imperial Assault is a board game that was released in late 2014. I only got around to playing it over the weekend, and I already count those months between as wasted.
Having made a ton of money off their excellent X-Wing game before moving onto capital ship battles, Imperial Assault is Fantasy Flight’s shot at moving Star Wars into more traditional tabletop territory.
If you’ve ever played HeroQuest, Space Crusade or even XCOM, you’ll be familiar with the basics here: players take control of a character and take turns to move about a grid-based battlefield, using terrain as cover as they battle enemies and complete objectives.
It’s designed for 2-5 players, but shines brighter the closer you get to the latter. A single player—basically the dungeon master—takes control of all Imperial forces, while everyone else selects a single Rebel character, choosing from a stable of RPG class stalwarts (support, sniper, etc).
Reviewer: Luke Plunkett
Read the full review here: https://kotaku.com/star-wars-imperial-assault-the-kotaku-review-1734772222
Having made a ton of money off their excellent X-Wing game before moving onto capital ship battles, Imperial Assault is Fantasy Flight’s shot at moving Star Wars into more traditional tabletop territory.
If you’ve ever played HeroQuest, Space Crusade or even XCOM, you’ll be familiar with the basics here: players take control of a character and take turns to move about a grid-based battlefield, using terrain as cover as they battle enemies and complete objectives.
It’s designed for 2-5 players, but shines brighter the closer you get to the latter. A single player—basically the dungeon master—takes control of all Imperial forces, while everyone else selects a single Rebel character, choosing from a stable of RPG class stalwarts (support, sniper, etc).
Reviewer: Luke Plunkett
Read the full review here: https://kotaku.com/star-wars-imperial-assault-the-kotaku-review-1734772222
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated Xia: Legends of a Drift System in Tabletop Games
Mar 8, 2018
So Much Sand in Space
A board game billing itself as a ‘sandbox’ is always going to be a little bit clunky, and Xia Legends of a Drift System is no exception. There are plenty of different systems for new players to learn and you will have to be patient when teaching the game. Xia Legend sof a Drift System isn’t particularly heavy, but there are many moving parts. A smarter person than me might have been able to figure out a way of sanding down Xia’s rough edges to make a more elegant experience, but I can’t honestly recommend better ways to implement its systems.
Ultimately, Xia’s dice rolling and the inherent meanness of blowing up your rivals and disrupting their turns, will be deal breakers for some. But if you invite people into your sandbox that won’t take themselves too seriously, there are plenty of toys to go around. I highly recommend you pick up Xia Legends of a Drift System.
Original Score: 4.4/5
Reviewer: John Severn
Read the full review here: https://www.gamesquest.co.uk/blog/xialegendsofadriftsystem/
Ultimately, Xia’s dice rolling and the inherent meanness of blowing up your rivals and disrupting their turns, will be deal breakers for some. But if you invite people into your sandbox that won’t take themselves too seriously, there are plenty of toys to go around. I highly recommend you pick up Xia Legends of a Drift System.
Original Score: 4.4/5
Reviewer: John Severn
Read the full review here: https://www.gamesquest.co.uk/blog/xialegendsofadriftsystem/
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2528 KP) rated The Poet (Jack McEvoy, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #5) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Crime reporter Jack McEnvoy’s world is turned upside down when his twin brother Sean, a cop, commits suicide. But when Jack goes to write a story on it, he discovers a disturbing pattern that will take him cross country and ultimately to the FBI. But will he learn the truth about what happened to his brother?
This book is praised as one of Connelly’s best, and I can see why. This book introduces an entire cast of characters, and they are all strong. The plot is ingenious, and I was on board for all the twists. Unfortunately, it is 20 years old, and the parts of the book that attempt to profile the villain and the scenes that are written from the villains point of view felt clichéd to me. Maybe it is because it has been done so often since this book. Whatever the reason, I found this the only flaw in an otherwise outstanding book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-poet-by-michael-connelly.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book is praised as one of Connelly’s best, and I can see why. This book introduces an entire cast of characters, and they are all strong. The plot is ingenious, and I was on board for all the twists. Unfortunately, it is 20 years old, and the parts of the book that attempt to profile the villain and the scenes that are written from the villains point of view felt clichéd to me. Maybe it is because it has been done so often since this book. Whatever the reason, I found this the only flaw in an otherwise outstanding book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-poet-by-michael-connelly.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Monopoly in Tabletop Games
Mar 9, 2018
Great game (2 more)
Time consumer
Educational
Time consumer (2 more)
Tears families apart
Hope you don't mind a prison sentence
Either a really good game, or a really bad game
I love this game. My family and I always used to play this in the school holidays so it always has a lovely memory attached to it. On the other hand, it has been the cause of a few arguments and sore losers as you can probably imagine. Nevertheless, when you can get through a game without arguing it is so fun to play.
It is a massively long game if you are playing in large groups though or people refuse to trade cards and help the game progress. We used to have to either play until an ungodly hour in the morning or put the game aside and continue playing the next night. So if you're after a quick game, Monopoly is a no-no.
Additionally, we used to play card games and use Monopoly money as currency. So there's that use too if you're not feeling up for a massive board game.
It is a massively long game if you are playing in large groups though or people refuse to trade cards and help the game progress. We used to have to either play until an ungodly hour in the morning or put the game aside and continue playing the next night. So if you're after a quick game, Monopoly is a no-no.
Additionally, we used to play card games and use Monopoly money as currency. So there's that use too if you're not feeling up for a massive board game.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2528 KP) rated Stone Cold Case (A Rock Shop Mystery, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
In an effort to learn more about local rocks and minerals, Morgan has been taking a class from the local college. While one a class field trip, she gets separated from everyone else and finds a mountain man guarding a skeleton. The discovery reopens an unsolved disappearance in this small Colorado town. But what happened all those years ago?
It had been a while since I read the first book in this series, but it didn’t take long before I was back on board with the characters again. They are wonderful, and I enjoyed seeing the growth in them. The book had too many sub-plots, which crowded out the mystery a little at the beginning, but as the book when on the mystery took over and came to a very strong climax that kept me turning the pages.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-stone-cold-case-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
It had been a while since I read the first book in this series, but it didn’t take long before I was back on board with the characters again. They are wonderful, and I enjoyed seeing the growth in them. The book had too many sub-plots, which crowded out the mystery a little at the beginning, but as the book when on the mystery took over and came to a very strong climax that kept me turning the pages.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-stone-cold-case-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2528 KP) rated Out of Circulation (Cat in the Stacks, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Charlie Harris has joined the Friends of the Library board in time for their annual Christmas fundraiser. Unfortunately, he’s walked into a feud that has been going on for years between the elderly Ducote sisters and Vera Cassity, who likes to think of herself as a bigger deal in town than she is. The night of the gala, Vera takes a tumble down the stairs and breaks her neck. With the sheriff looking at Azalea, Charlie’s housekeeper, he needs to figure out what really happened.
As a fan of the Southern Ladies series, I was quite anxious to read the book that introduced the Ducote sisters. They are as much fun here as they are in their own series. We get to see a different side of a couple of series regulars as well, which I really enjoyed. The plot was strong and kept me going until the surprising yet logical conclusion.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-out-of-circulation-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
As a fan of the Southern Ladies series, I was quite anxious to read the book that introduced the Ducote sisters. They are as much fun here as they are in their own series. We get to see a different side of a couple of series regulars as well, which I really enjoyed. The plot was strong and kept me going until the surprising yet logical conclusion.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-out-of-circulation-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.