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An Amish Picnic: Four Stories
An Amish Picnic: Four Stories
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Baskets of Sunshine was a sweet book about finding love right in front of you and having the courage to walk in faith. Both of the main characters were fun and relatable, I enjoyed seeing their perspectives on age difference in a relationship. They both overcome the obstacles set before them with minimal fuss and a good dose of forgiveness.

Candlelight Sweethearts had an interesting storyline. The characters had very vivid descriptions and were both very shy and sweet, which made it an obstacle for them to overcome. The characters in this book really grow into themselves by the end of the story.

Reeling in Love was my favorite book in this collection, probably because I can see myself doing several of the things that the main character does. The story was well written, the scenes believable and it made me smile. I can totally see the situations presented happening in real life. Both the characters have struggled to overcome things and hurt feelings to mend, in the end, though they rely on God to help them muddle through.

Picnics and Prospects This was a fun mini mystery story! The characters played well off each other and I really enjoyed getting to know them (I do wish it could have been a longer story, just so I could have gotten to know the characters' stories a little better). Overall, though this was a fun read. Both of the characters had to come to the realization that sometimes first impressions can be wrong and everyone deserves a second chance.

I give these stories 4 out of 5 stars for their creative picnic ideas, the interesting characters, and the themes of faith and forgiveness.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
The People Under the Stairs (1991)
The People Under the Stairs (1991)
1991 | Comedy, Horror
7
7.3 (16 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Often overlooked by Wes Craven's wider known films, The People Under the Stairs is a gem of an early nineties horror in its own right for a few reasons.

First and foremost, it has a great cast. Brandon Quintin Adams heads up the cast. He's a cute kid who is easy to root for. The supporting cast is strong too, including Ving Rhames, A.J. Langer, and Sean Whalen. But the stars of the show are it's horrendous villains. Twin Peaks alumni Wendy Robie and Everett McGill play the antagonists (simply credited as "woman" and "man") and they just relish in how absolutely vile they are, and are the main source of entertainment throughout the runtime. The Hall of Fame of horror villainy isn't easy to get into, being crammed with popular icons and all, but these two deserve a spot for sure.

Other than these positives, it's also boasts some decent practical gore, a few creepy visuals, some moments of well earned tension, and is socially relevant to this day, touching upon subjects such as class difference, unaffordable healthcare, and racism. It's screenplay is an intelligent one in this respect, as well as having a fun side to it.

My only real issue with The People Under the Stairs is it's pacing. It does take a little too long to get going. When everything starts to get chaotic, it really becomes a good time, but it does get a bit repetitive, no matter how entertaining it is to see Everett McGill running around in a gimp suit.

These are minor gripes though, it's definitely worth a watch. It's another solid piece of work from Wes Craven, and deserves it's cult status wholeheartedly.
  
40x40

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) Jan 2, 2021

Excellent film

40x40

Tom Jones recommended Just as I Am by Bill Withers in Music (curated)

 
Just as I Am by Bill Withers
Just as I Am by Bill Withers
1971 | Rhythm And Blues
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I heard this on the radio in the States, and I loved the songwriting. He was coming up with something different, it was a soulful folk, so I went and bought the album in LA, I thought “I gotta hear what this guy does” and every bloody track on it is a gem. I’ve always loved the sound of an album, maybe as much as the songs themselves, you know the performance, the sound of it makes a big difference to me. And now you know you can get box sets with alternate takes, and you realise then how long it took them sometimes to get the final take. The first time they did it was good, but then all of a sudden - boom - and there it is. I think there’s a good learning process to listen to the ones they didn’t let go, where the producers said “not yet”, and they persevered until... there it is. When I’ve been in a club sometimes, I’ve gotten up [on stage] and they’ve been like, “Do ‘Delilah’!”, and I’ve said “Let me just do this, which I don’t normally do"". So it is, because when you’ve made big records - great onstage, the way you do your own show - but it’s great to do other stuff when you don’t have to do those things. Not that I don’t like them, you know ‘Delilah’’s a great record, but its nice to do other things. So when you hear someone like Bill Withers doing something like that and being successful, you think, “See, there’s room for that.” There’s room for all different kinds of records. They don’t all have to be the same, or in the same vein, or chasing some things just to get a hit record."

Source
  
And Another Thing...(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #6)
And Another Thing...(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #6)
Eoin Colfer | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I adored the first couple of books in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams, and although this isn't by the same author, I was still pretty excited to read it.

Colfer has managed to capture the voice of Adams incredibly well, including the same nonsensical tone and randomness that made the first books so popular. The main difference between the writers is the length of the book; this addition to the series is considerably longer than the originals.

All our favourite characters are back, including the mean green dude who's insulting everyone in the universe. This guy, who we discover is named Bowerick Wowbagger, has a surprisingly important role in this novel.

Arthur, Random, Trillion, Ford and Zaphod are all causing havoc yet again, unintentionally as per usual. They find themselves on Nano, a new planet colonised by the last remaining Earthlings after the destruction of Earth. Thor becomes Zaphod's client, the immortal Bowerick has his mind set on death, and Trillian finds herself strangely attracted to this suicidal being. So yeah, everything's normal.

I did get a little lost and uninterested during certain parts about Nano, but some of the little bits of dialogue or subtle jokes are just fantastic. If you didn't already know this was by a different author, you may not have even noticed.

I'm not sure the series needed to be six books long, as the best books are definitely the first couple. But none of the books in this series are bad, and are all worth reading in my opinion. Sometimes I wasn't sure this book deserved more than 3 or 3.5 stars, but by the end I decided it should get 4.
  
Where Love Grows
Where Love Grows
Jay Northcote | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Where Love Grows is a beautiful story between two men who have struggled with hard times, set in the gorgeous backdrop of Wales. Stephen has been seriously ill and is struggling to get his life back on track. It appears hopeless and he feels helpless. Luke is suffering from depression and has no idea on how to make his life better OR be able to move forward. Together, these two are amazing.

Oh my, I loved this story. I am not a gardener although my heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, my brown thumb doesn't cooperate! So I was immediately sympathising with Luke as he struggled to understand the difference between a weed and a flower. Stephen is a prickly character that endears himself to you as you learn more about his story. Yes, I wanted to slap him upside the head a couple of times, but I want to do that to my husband at times too, so count it as a compliment 😉

The writing is excellent, with clear descriptions of places, weather, emotions, you name it. The pacing is smooth, with the ending sneaking up on me. I was so engrossed in the story, I didn't realise I was nearing the end. I could have carried on reading! There is only a small cast of characters but this works so well. The storyline is superbly simple, focusing on the important things between our two characters rather than unnecessary drama.

This is a book to enjoy all year long, no matter what the season, or what is growing in your garden. Absolutely fantastic, and highly recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Player's Handbook (Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition)
Player's Handbook (Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition)
2014 | Adventure, Book, Fantasy, Game System, Roleplaying
Everything you need to get started (2 more)
Plenty of information
Great for people who haven't played before
Can be a little difficult to sift through and find the information you want (0 more)
Makes the whole thing a little less daunting
I first tried playing dungeons and dragons years and years ago with a small group and it was a complete disaster. Only one member of the group had played before and their knowledge was limited, at best. We didn't have access to any books or character sheets and the entire session turned in to a frustrating stream of questions which led to more confusion.
I started playing again recently with another small group, all of us complete beginners, and owning the books made all the difference. There are a LOT of books available but this is the best starting point if you're new to the game or want to get the basics covered. Of course a lot of the information is also available online but the dungeons and dragons official site doesn't include everything and if you go looking elsewhere you have to trawl through different sites to find everything.
The book lays things out fairly clearly and though there's a lot to get through, it does break things down quite nicely.
It includes character sheets (though you can also find apps for these on your mobile) and covers all of the basics that you need to get started; character creation, dice rolling, battles, equipment, NPCs, spells, animals and so on. It also includes a 'quick build' box for characters to get you started if you're in a hurry.
I'd recommend the book to anyone looking to get started on a campaign, especially if you're without a seasoned player / dungeon master. It was a life saver to our group of newbies and we still refer back to it even now.
  
    Bluebeam Revu

    Bluebeam Revu

    Productivity and Utilities

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Bluebeam® Revu® for iPad lets you work without limits from anywhere. Access and navigate PDFs on...