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The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From The Living Dead
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From The Living Dead
Max Brooks | 2004 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Humor & Comedy
6
7.9 (26 Ratings)
Book Rating
The 'historical' accounts of zombie attacks. (0 more)
The detailed descriptions of various weapons and places of safety. Not for me, I'm afraid! (0 more)
I loved World War Z, but I really struggled to read this. It’s all very useful stuff: lists of things to do to survive various types and levels of zombie outbreak, lists of equipment you’ll need, descriptions of various weapons. Actually, that last bit is where I feel my brain was fried. I’m not really terribly interested in a detailed description of various weapons. I’m not interested in weapons, full stop. I did, however, like the history of the zombie outbreaks. More of them please! This is the type of thing that had me looking out of the window just to check that there weren’t any zombies hoofing it down the street whilst I was reading WWZ!
I could see hardcore Zombie fans really enjoying this. I just don’t think I’m that big a fan. I’ve only just started season 5 of The Walking Dead: I watched the opening credits of the first episode 3 months ago and haven’t managed to watch the rest of it yet. I’m a very poor TV viewer (books are more fun!).
  
Background Music by American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost
Background Music by American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost
2001 | Punk
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This record is incredibly passionate, and it's got incredible lyrics. I've since become friends with Wes [Eisold, frontman] and he's a great guy, a great writer and musician, but this record just holds so much weight in my youth, at a time when I was quite lost and hardcore really picked me up. They were emerging at that time and they're from Boston, which just seemed violent to me, and I needed that violence in my life. I stage dove to American Nightmare in Camden Underworld in 2003 and dislocated my arm, and when I saw them play it was something hard to ignore. They looked like mods, like they should have lived in Brighton in the 70s. It was so weird to see a dude in skinny jeans, DMs, and a Fred Perry shirt but screaming his guts out in North London, surrounded by kids in black hoodies, it was bizarre. I still have it in my workout playlist now and that's a good 15 years on. When I hear the song 'AM/PM' it makes me want to stage dive again, and I love that it can make me feel like that so late in the day."

Source
  
Upgrade (2018)
Upgrade (2018)
2018 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Probably the most interesting of the three here by some way, Upgrade comes at the angle of cybernetic amendments to human capability in an almost, but not quite, original way. It postures and ponders a lot of pseudo-science and cod philosophy before getting to the bits people are going mad for: the fight scenes, which are indeed jaw dropping, feel new and are brutally graphic enough to amuse even the most hardcore gamer. Trouble is… this makes it almost a torture-porn movie, because the only real thrills are in the grossness of the violence. The acting is of negligible importance, because character and plot are not that important to the success of Upgrade as a spectacle. It feels cheap and B movie grade in places, which of course it is. If you enjoy seeing impressive things done with less than a premium budget then this could be worth watching. But… there is a nastiness and a somewhat teenage / pothead vibe to it that ruins anything remotely good. It is also shamelessly derivative. Not bad then, but by no means good, or properly recommended.
  
All Soul's Night is a mixed bag of steam and spice! Every story is linked to the others by the Venetian Masked Ball on All Soul's Night, and some characters have cameos in either the story before or after, which gave it a great feeling of continuity.

Most of the stories are M/F but His Vampire Morsel by Lesli Richardson is MM and Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Arial Burnz is M/M/F. All of them are set in the world of the Midnight Doms so expect plenty of BDSM. Some are more 'hardcore' than others but all of them are HOT!

As with all anthologies, there were some I liked more than others but the two I've already mentioned were my favourites of the lot. Some new-to-me authors that I will definitely be seeking out more titles from.

All in all, a great read and absolutely 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!
  
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
1981 | Documentary, History, Music
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"She made three in the series, this, then II and III. This one is about hardcore punk in L.A. in the early ’80s so there’s a lot of Black Flag and that whole scene. Its aesthetic was one of the main influences that Chris Blauvelt and I used for Mid90s – for the way things looked, the way the backstage in the apartment looked, for the 16 mm. It’s a remarkable and encompassing snapshot of a scene that I’m personally drawn to, and the ethics and aesthetics of the film are as fucked up and raw as what it’s depicting. The crazy thing is that Penelope Spheeris started as a punk doc maker and ended up directing broad ’90s comedies - she made Wayne’s World (1992)! She also made Suburbia (1983), which is amazing, and another influence for Blauvelt and I. The main thing I did when I became a known as a an actor and had access to people and filmmakers, was me saying, like, “Hi, I’m the kid from Superbad, can I please have all the Decline movies?” That’s how I abused fame at that time."

Source
  
The Early Life of Walt Disney
The Early Life of Walt Disney
Andrew Kiste | 2021 | Biography
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
'The Early Life of Walt Disney' is an extremely detailed account of Walter Elias Disney and his ancestors.

Kiste begins with the origins of the name Disney but quickly moves to the life of Walt's grandfather and father, exploring the social and economic factors of the time as well as how these directly affected the Disneys. For example, how a combination of Elias Disney's Christian faith and the corruption within a fast-growing Chicago led to Walt's father's authoritative nature, as well as direct examples of discipline towards Roy, Walt and the other Disney children.
Andrew Kiste has written a number of books on Walt Disney's life and has clearly researched the icon extensively. This book is very much rooted in the history of early America and can be very detailed: Elias Disney's involvement in building a church in his neighbourhood takes up a significant chunk of one chapter and Kiste even recounts the speech from the reverend on the day!
Nevertheless, 'The Early Life of Walt Disney' is an interesting insight for any hardcore Disney fan. I'm excited to see the next installment.
  
OU
Once Upon a Winter's Night (Faery, #1)
Dennis L. McKiernan | 2002 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Makes you think (2 more)
Vocabulary
Riddles
But of a mary sue (1 more)
Sometimes drags
This is a good book based on a Norse fairytale. The main character is a bit of a Mary Sue. But it does have some deep subject matter. I'd file it as a winter book. Makes you think and can challenge some views.
The book can be somewhat draggy, as an epic fiction it's alright and doesn't kill itself in. Purple prose.
It's a good book if you want to expand your vocabulary or have High School assignments that are like "pick a book and write the sentence when it uses a word you don't know." Or was that just my english class? Anyway, I'd say it's good for ages 14 and up if they are tired of the kids section and not ready for the bloody. hardcore adult or too snooty (or hate the love triangles) for the ya fantasy. Its pretty easy to follow so if you want to put your toe in for epic fantasy but aren't sure if you want to start you can start here. It's part of a series but can be read alone.
  
Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue
Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue
Mackenzi Lee | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.9 (18 Ratings)
Book Rating
OH MY GOD THIS WAS INCREDIBLE!!!
Alright, so, I am now going to rant about my wonderful little gay babies (and one ace baby too). Keep scrolling if you're not interested.

Alright, so, first: MONTY WILL YOU PICK UP A DAMN HINT WHAT THE FUCK MONTY WHAT IS THIS SHIT. My little boi Percy is out there, trying to get you to love him, but NOOO Percy could never love the wonderfully fucked up Monty, CAN HE? My babies cannot pick up hints, at all. Like, it's not even funny. However, they have managed to pick up both girls and guys. Like, running naked in The Palace Versailles? Damn Monty, hardcore.

Now, the true hero: Felicity. What a wonderful girl, skilled in practically everything. She. Was. Incredible. I love her so much. Also, her sass in this book is just- WOW. Our homegirl is amazing.

In technical terms, I really, really like this book. I mean, gay historical romances? This is some gourmet shit! All the characters were great, and there was plenty of development, and I just- this was just so incredible. I don't think I've read anything funnier. No, this book was great and ya'll can fight me on it, mmkay? Thanks.
  
Monopoly
Monopoly
1935 | Business / Industrial, Economic
It's a classic. (4 more)
It teaches both the positives and the negatives of capitalism.
It's a great game to play with a group of people.
The rules are fairly open to customization.
The game itself is extremely customizable to give a more personal experience.
The game can take way too long to finish for a simple board game. (2 more)
It can get a bit redundant.
Arguments can definitely ensue between more hardcore players.
There's a reason Monopoly may be the most recognizable board game in history. It is damn fun and a great time with small or large groups of people. The game is a fantastic learning experience about capitalism and the highly customizable nature of the game gives it the ability to be a highly personal experience. However the game really suffers from the fact that it can take hours to complete a single game which also makes the game highly redundant at times, draining much of the enjoyment. The best way to play is definitely with house rules so you have the power to affect the length and redundancy of the game, as well as the personalization of the game. All faults considered, it's still a top 5 or at the very least top 10 of all time table top game.
  
Reaper (Boston Underworld, #2)
Reaper (Boston Underworld, #2)
A. Zavarelli | 2016 | Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another FABULOUS book in the Boston Underworld Series!! I was hooked immediately reading Crow and Reaper was no different.. Once day read, didn't want to put it down!? SO much more than just a love story, this series/book is packed with everything from hardcore Mafia dealings, torture and revenge, to scenes that had me bawling in happy tears. Some people are just meant to be together and everything falls into place. That is how I would describe Ronan and Sasha... Two very "different" people who are immediately bonded on some unseen level. They calm and comfort one another like no else has or can, they understand just what the other needs, without pushing. It's beautiful really... Ronan, that quiet misunderstood man we first met in Crow, has finally shed some of his protective layers and, for lack of a better word, blossomed into the man we now see. A man with a purpose and a plan.. To do everything in his power to protect the woman he loves. This book was absolutely incredible- LOVING this series!!! I cringed at the violence, cried my happy tears and surely got a good laugh with some of these guys and their comments.. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend book / author & series!!!