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The Ballad of Sandy McNab
The Ballad of Sandy McNab
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Ballad of Sandy McNab by Colin Mackenzie is an interesting children’s book with a very different art style. The back of the book claims that this book will be available as a children’s song (I have not looked for it as of yet). The way the book flows definitely lends itself to being a song.


A little green crab is minding his own business in his home when a shark shows up. The shark tries to trick the crab into going outside by asking him to come out and play. When the crab refuses the shark breaks in and tries to attack him. The little crab is quicker than the shark and pinches it until the shark leaves. With the shark gone the little crab can live peacefully again.


It is hard to pick out just one thing as my favorite when I think the entire book is great. The little crab pinching the shark’s nose made me smile and a whale swallowing the shark was an ironic twist I was not expecting. As for what I did not like, its not exactly a complaint this time but more of something that people should be aware of when getting a book (or anything really) that is not from their country. On two pages there was a word that just felt wrong to me. One was “barmy” which given the context I believe means stupid. The other was “nippers” which I believe to be claws. While this is not a problem with this book people (like myself) should be prepared for language differences.


Parents will enjoy reading this short book to their children and may find that is is difficult to read it without singing it or adding emphasis on the verbal patterns. Also as children get older this is a book that they will still enjoy reading themselves. I give this children’s book a 4 out of 4 rating like so many others. The story is not overly long or detailed and the author clearly took time to structure a story around the rhymes. It keeps a steady rhythm that is frequently hard to accomplish. The story itself is cute with a crab besting a much larger opponent.

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Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated Shadow of Night in Books

Feb 17, 2019 (Updated Feb 17, 2019)  
Shadow of Night
Shadow of Night
Deborah E. Harkness | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.6 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
Middle book syndrome
Audibook review - 3.5 stars

This was a good story affected by some pacing issues in my opinion, thus the rating which might surprise some people. Overall, I feel good about the storyline, the character development and the gut-punching emotions. I do think it could have been a little shorter and more dynamically paced. I wasn’t sure if I was going to settle into Tudor England, it took some time but I did settle.

Matthew and Diana’s relationship dynamic was rather different in past times, I found it inevitable, interesting and sometimes annoying. I enjoyed the band of waifs and strays that became part of their family.

Great narration and I’m already lamenting that Times Convert won’t have Ikeda.
  
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
2018 | Biography, Comedy, Crime
I saw this movie around two weeks ago, and haven't been really able to decide on a number rating. I went between a 10, then an 8, but now I've settled on 9.
I haven't read the book, so I'm not sure how much the story was embellished and/or changed, but it was overall, an entertaining 'true story'. I know Spike Lee was drawing heavy parallels to today, which, is fine, but I think everyone would have still gotten the point without the last 5-10 minutes of news footage.
Adam Driver and John David Washington were a good team, and their work together was kind of what made the movie. The last scene on the phone was the best part of the movie.
  
___ <b>3 Star Rating</b> ___

<b>Ebook downloaded for FREE from Smashwords</b>

This is a really beautiful collection of poetry written straight from the heart of the author. The subject matter of each poem changes throughout the book, containing life, love, nature and beauty.
It is a short, refreshing read which I recommend.
The main reasons I removed some stars was because some of the writing and poems were not to my personal taste (no fault of the author) and it is very obvious that english is not the author's first language as there were quite a few spelling and editing errors which made some of the poems quite difficult to read and understand. Other than that this was a nice and pleasant read.
  
Allegiant
Allegiant
Veronica Roth | 2016 | Children
4
8.0 (41 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm kinda peed off that I've spent God knows how many hours reading this series for <b>that</b> to be how the trilogy ends. Yeah, I gathered from the average rating that something happened that the readers weren't happy with but I didn't see that coming!

As a romance reader I'm definitely hacked off that it didn't end with sunshine and roses but at the same time I guess that with where the plot was going from the end of book 2 that there was no other way that it could end.

Being brutally honest, I'm just going to chuck out Insurgent and Allegiant and keep Divergent and think of it as a stand alone where Tris and Tobias live HEA.
  
    Chess - tChess Pro (Int&#039;l)

    Chess - tChess Pro (Int'l)

    Entertainment and Education

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    tChess Pro is the high-quality, critically acclaimed chess app with the richest features for the...

Knitting At Home: 60 Classics from Ella Rae Designs by Leanne Prouse
ISBN: 9781933027999
Published: Published October 5th 2010 by Sixth&Spring Books
Rating: 5

 

Knitting At Home aims to be more than a knitting book with pretty patterns. Specifically, it aims to inspire and create a desire to satisfy creativity. It accomplishes this wonderfully. There isn't a pattern in Knitting at Home that I don't like, and there are several I'm itching to start on.

 

The book has six sections: A Room for Living, Relaxing, Sharing, Retreating, Little ones, and It's the Weekend. Each one has a great collection of patterns.

 

There was a good variety of patterns in the book, between socks, fingerless mitts, bags, and decorations for the home. There were also a lot of throws and blankets. Now I've never made a blanket… but after flipping through this book a few times, I've never wanted to make one so badly (Alas, most of my yarn is at home and I'm stuck at college). Same with pillows. I never understood the idea of knitting a pillow, but when seen in the photographs in the book and when I saw the beautiful patterns, I desperately wanted one! There are also some beautiful sweater patterns, some nice socks, a cute pair of slippers, and even some felted stuffed dolls.

 

The patterns and the whole feel of this book drips creativity and inspiration: everything from the layout to the font to the color schemes. Both Leanne Prouse and her artistic director did a great job on Knitting at Home.



Recommendation: beginner to experienced knitters who like larger projects and projects for the home.
  
Platform Seven
Platform Seven
Louise Doughty | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
6
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
173 of 235
Book
Platform Seven
By Louise Doughty
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Platform Seven at 4am: Peterborough Railway Station is deserted. The man crossing the covered walkway on this freezing November morning is confident he's alone. As he sits on the metal bench at the far end of the platform it is clear his choice is strategic - he's as far away from the night staff as he can get.
What the man doesn't realise is that he has company. Lisa Evans knows what he has decided. She knows what he is about to do as she tries and fails to stop him walking to the platform edge.
Two deaths on Platform Seven. Two fatalities in eighteen months - surely they're connected?
No one is more desperate to understand what connects them than Lisa Evans herself. After all, she was the first of the two to die.


I really struggled with rating this book as I’m so undecided how I feel about it. First it does need a trigger warning for Suicide as it’s a heavy feature through the book also Mental abuse. Oh god i honestly don’t know how I feel it’s definitely a book that compels you to keep reading and you just need to know what happened to this woman and the lives she’s touched or visits during the book each character has a story to tell even those you only see briefly. It’s a talking point and makes you really think! I’ve settled on 3 stars as the book was so compelling in not sure enjoyed reading it is the right phase but I definitely didn’t put it down.
  
The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones
The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones
Cassandra Clare | 2007 | Children
1
8.2 (111 Ratings)
Book Rating
Magnus (0 more)
Pretty much everything (0 more)
I hated almost every minute I wasted reading this.
Read in May 2013
The more I thought about this book after finishing it the lower my rating got. While reading the characters and plot were okay nothing all that special or really memorable about half way through I was just reading so I could finish and see if some of my guess were right...and yeah they were. The writing style was okay also nothing all that special or memorable about it just came off as childish.

First and foremost the reason why I hated this book so much was Clary and Jace they are both two of the most unlikable characters I have ever read. Clary is your typical female protagonist that complains about her looks,get jealous through out the whole book and is all around just so unlikable I wanted to jump in and strangle her.

Jace is also your typical leading brooding teen male that is so popular right now, I really couldn't find a single thing I like about him or really even remember.

The only character and really the only reason I even bothered to rate the book was Magnus he was interesting flamboyant and I think I kept reading just hoping he would pop up again.
  
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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Closer in Books

Apr 19, 2019  
Closer
Closer
Alexa Riley | 2018 | Erotica, Romance
7
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
First finished book of 2019!! I would rate this 3 1/2 stars so I have rounded up to 4 stars.

I listened to this book through the Read Me Romance podcast. I loved the concept of the podcast and the intro music is amazing. Closer is my first time reading Alexa Riley so I went into this book with no idea what I was signing up for. Unfortunately, it seems that this little novella fell under the curse of the novella, I didn't feel connected to the characters.

Though I didn't feel connected to the characters I still liked them. They were interesting and I wish that I could have a full novel with the characters and not a short novella. I also liked the narrators and I think that they added a half star to my rating of this book.

The plot was obviously quick and dirty. It kept me entertained but it also left me wanting a lot more. There really wasn't time to get to know the characters and it was insta love which generally annoys me. I love insta connection but the insta love just drives me up the wall. I wish that I would have gotten to know the characters more and see a relationship develop.

All in all, it was quick and dirty.