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Debbiereadsbook (1617 KP) rated Snowed In: Ross and Ashton in Books
Feb 4, 2019
kinda fell into this one, loved it!
Totally unprepared for the snow storm, Ash drives to his new job. Or at least, he tries to. He runs his car off the road and is found by Ross. The same Ross who broke his heart in college. But Ross doesn't recognise Ash straight away, although he thinks him familiar. When the penny finally drops, all the heartbreak that both suffered all those years ago comes rushing back, along with the intense chemistry they had. Can they survive the monster storm? Could they try again?
I REALLY enjoyed this! It was a great easy read, and I mean that in a good way!
Sometimes, you just need a book that isn't too complicate, not to taxing on the old brain. A book that throws enough hints at you that you know there was something that happened, but you aren't sure what. A book that pulls you in, and doesn't let you in for the next hour or so, the 90 pages that this book is.
Ash knows his rescuer straight away but it takes time for Ross to know it's Ash. But Ross hasn't seen Ash since college, and Ash has been dropping into Ross' social media from time to time, cos he's a sucker for punishment.
What I particularly liked about this book, was how much BOTH men were affected by what happened all those years ago. For very different reasons. But they are different men now. I'm not going into spoiler, really I'm not, but it's great reading the same situation from both sides, and seeing both of them realise just what could have been.
It's not overly explicit but that's not needed here. The whole book takes place over a matter of HOURS so there really isn't a lot of hot and steamy stuff. It is sexy though, what's here.
I just FELL into this book and I really REALLY enjoyed it!
Ah sod it! I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page when I wrote this review, but now I'm typing it up? Can't figure out a single reason why!
So!
5 full and snow covered stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I REALLY enjoyed this! It was a great easy read, and I mean that in a good way!
Sometimes, you just need a book that isn't too complicate, not to taxing on the old brain. A book that throws enough hints at you that you know there was something that happened, but you aren't sure what. A book that pulls you in, and doesn't let you in for the next hour or so, the 90 pages that this book is.
Ash knows his rescuer straight away but it takes time for Ross to know it's Ash. But Ross hasn't seen Ash since college, and Ash has been dropping into Ross' social media from time to time, cos he's a sucker for punishment.
What I particularly liked about this book, was how much BOTH men were affected by what happened all those years ago. For very different reasons. But they are different men now. I'm not going into spoiler, really I'm not, but it's great reading the same situation from both sides, and seeing both of them realise just what could have been.
It's not overly explicit but that's not needed here. The whole book takes place over a matter of HOURS so there really isn't a lot of hot and steamy stuff. It is sexy though, what's here.
I just FELL into this book and I really REALLY enjoyed it!
Ah sod it! I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page when I wrote this review, but now I'm typing it up? Can't figure out a single reason why!
So!
5 full and snow covered stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Rachel King (13 KP) rated A Pointed Death in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I am not usually a fan of mysteries. They often seem like pre-scripted storylines with fill-in-the-blank characters and place names. Not so with this book. The mystery that Nola Billingsley finds herself in the midst of is set against a background of dot-com start-up corporations and the biotechnology industry. I was intrigued right away by the biotechnology aspects thanks to some education in biology myself. Russell often goes into the technical details of this thriving industry, which I think can slow a reader down who does not already understand much of this terminology.
Many of the characters are unique, if a bit cliche - such as Nola's southern belle mother, Janie Belle. I also found it odd that Nola mostly referred to her mother by her first name instead of simply calling her Mother or Mom. Nola's pointer dog, Skootch, often stole the show with his antics, but the plot seems to depend on Skootch's behavior for its progression.
Other parts of the book that I enjoyed for their own sake was the details that Russell used to bring the setting of San Francisco to life, such as the California cuisine. The polarization of Nola's choice of foods in comparison to her mother's southern cooking made for some interesting situations, and one scene at a crab festival had me salivating in jealousy. Russell is very good with details and descriptions across the board.
As for the plot, there was very little to disappoint. There was not much I could predict, no matter how many times I thought I knew what would happen next. The action was intense at times, but it was interspersed with bits of humor and romance to lighten the tension. Most of the subplots wrapped up nicely, with only a bit left over for a second book in the series to pick up. The only real question that I had that was never answered was what Nola's dot-com company actually did before it crashed. This likely was not relevant enough to the plot to be worth including.
On the whole, I was delighted that this book was a much better read than I expected it to be.
Many of the characters are unique, if a bit cliche - such as Nola's southern belle mother, Janie Belle. I also found it odd that Nola mostly referred to her mother by her first name instead of simply calling her Mother or Mom. Nola's pointer dog, Skootch, often stole the show with his antics, but the plot seems to depend on Skootch's behavior for its progression.
Other parts of the book that I enjoyed for their own sake was the details that Russell used to bring the setting of San Francisco to life, such as the California cuisine. The polarization of Nola's choice of foods in comparison to her mother's southern cooking made for some interesting situations, and one scene at a crab festival had me salivating in jealousy. Russell is very good with details and descriptions across the board.
As for the plot, there was very little to disappoint. There was not much I could predict, no matter how many times I thought I knew what would happen next. The action was intense at times, but it was interspersed with bits of humor and romance to lighten the tension. Most of the subplots wrapped up nicely, with only a bit left over for a second book in the series to pick up. The only real question that I had that was never answered was what Nola's dot-com company actually did before it crashed. This likely was not relevant enough to the plot to be worth including.
On the whole, I was delighted that this book was a much better read than I expected it to be.
Jon Hansen (9 KP) rated Quantum in Tabletop Games
May 2, 2019
Fun (6 more)
Replayable
Innovative
Easy to learn
Strategic
Deep
Visually Appealing
Out Of Print (1 more)
A little too strategic for older folks
Space Battle-Yahtzee
We rented Quantum from our local card shop, and ended up playing it every day. Its out of print, so it was a stroke of astounding luck that the shop was willing to sell it to us.
Quantum plays somewhat like risk, where you advance units to positions to capture objectives. The catch is that your units are dice- higher numbers can move further, but lower numbers are better in combat, and each has a special ability.
The game revolves around placing "Quantum Cubes", which your units build on planets. Each planet has a number and an amount of slots for quantum cubes to be placed, and to build a cube your units (which are literally dice) must add up the the number on the planet they are on.
Building quantum cubes allows you to select an "advancement card", which contain either permanent upgrades to your turns and abilities, or one-time powerful bonuses. All advancement cards feel meaningful and powerful, and which ones you select determine a lot of how your game will play out. You can "build" for combat, research, mobility, and even some weird other things like being able to change one of your dice once per turn either up one number or down one (and thus changing its abilities).
The game board is configurable tiles, so the "map" can be different each time, and support a faster or slower game, or more or less players (the game only comes with pieces for 4 players, but if you had the dice it wouldn't be hard to play extra with improvised pieces).
The game pacing is really well done; if all players know what they're doing, the race to place the final cube can be intense and exciting, as each player will end up with different strengths as they implement unique strategies to win.
We love quantum and have had a blast every time we've played it- we're expecting it to become a family favorite and for our copy to end up very well loved.
Quantum plays somewhat like risk, where you advance units to positions to capture objectives. The catch is that your units are dice- higher numbers can move further, but lower numbers are better in combat, and each has a special ability.
The game revolves around placing "Quantum Cubes", which your units build on planets. Each planet has a number and an amount of slots for quantum cubes to be placed, and to build a cube your units (which are literally dice) must add up the the number on the planet they are on.
Building quantum cubes allows you to select an "advancement card", which contain either permanent upgrades to your turns and abilities, or one-time powerful bonuses. All advancement cards feel meaningful and powerful, and which ones you select determine a lot of how your game will play out. You can "build" for combat, research, mobility, and even some weird other things like being able to change one of your dice once per turn either up one number or down one (and thus changing its abilities).
The game board is configurable tiles, so the "map" can be different each time, and support a faster or slower game, or more or less players (the game only comes with pieces for 4 players, but if you had the dice it wouldn't be hard to play extra with improvised pieces).
The game pacing is really well done; if all players know what they're doing, the race to place the final cube can be intense and exciting, as each player will end up with different strengths as they implement unique strategies to win.
We love quantum and have had a blast every time we've played it- we're expecting it to become a family favorite and for our copy to end up very well loved.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Assassination Nation (2018) in Movies
May 3, 2019
Bad, but Could Have Been Worse
In a suburban town, four teenage girls find themselves fighting for their lives when some very private information about the townspeople gets posted online. I wanted to love this movie. I mean, it did enough to earn my respect. Unfortunately, it falls well short of being a movie I can recommend.
Acting; 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Director Sam Levinson begins the film by capturing the essence of the daily lives of the four girls the story revolves around. You see them joking around, getting ready for a night out on the town, texting and doing all the social media stuff. It’s not long before the movie takes an extremely jarring turn. It’s a sharp curve and I appreciate the contrast. The movie maintains its bright vitality even as people are dying all over the place. Like it or not, it’s hard to look away.
Conflict: 7
Assassination Nation is slow in a number of spots. It’s like a sputtering car: hard to get going and once it does, it’s only a matter of time before it begins to stop again. There are a number of intense moments, but they are either few and far between or too little too late. From the title, I expected more.
Genre: 2
Memorability: 1
I am racking my brain trying to remember moments from this movie. It comes to me in pieces, but not spectacular pieces. The movie overall is missing a serious punch. It’s trying to succeed at being something it’s not and it shows. I mean, REALLY shows.
Pace: 8
Plot: 4
Resolution: 7
As messy as the movie can be at times, you are always hoping that the girls get a decent payoff. I won’t ruin what happens but I will say that, although it’s not perfect, it definitely beats the movie’s saggy middle.
Overall: 67
Assassination Nation is the kind of movie you watch once to say you did then move on forever. At best, it’s meh. Just when you get a glimpse of things improving, they fall below expectations. Again and again.
Acting; 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Director Sam Levinson begins the film by capturing the essence of the daily lives of the four girls the story revolves around. You see them joking around, getting ready for a night out on the town, texting and doing all the social media stuff. It’s not long before the movie takes an extremely jarring turn. It’s a sharp curve and I appreciate the contrast. The movie maintains its bright vitality even as people are dying all over the place. Like it or not, it’s hard to look away.
Conflict: 7
Assassination Nation is slow in a number of spots. It’s like a sputtering car: hard to get going and once it does, it’s only a matter of time before it begins to stop again. There are a number of intense moments, but they are either few and far between or too little too late. From the title, I expected more.
Genre: 2
Memorability: 1
I am racking my brain trying to remember moments from this movie. It comes to me in pieces, but not spectacular pieces. The movie overall is missing a serious punch. It’s trying to succeed at being something it’s not and it shows. I mean, REALLY shows.
Pace: 8
Plot: 4
Resolution: 7
As messy as the movie can be at times, you are always hoping that the girls get a decent payoff. I won’t ruin what happens but I will say that, although it’s not perfect, it definitely beats the movie’s saggy middle.
Overall: 67
Assassination Nation is the kind of movie you watch once to say you did then move on forever. At best, it’s meh. Just when you get a glimpse of things improving, they fall below expectations. Again and again.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Fighting fit
#alitabattleangel may just be the most #intense & visually splendid mature cgi fest I've seen in a long long time. Having not seen #anime that inspired this #movie i had no idea what i was walking into with this one. Upon leaving it i not only felt extremely satisfied but also like i had experienced something #breathtaking & full to the brim with #passion. To start I can't stress enough just how god damn #beautiful this #film is, cgi is staggering as well as jaw dropping. From the intricate inner machinery wires, dust particles & realistic lighting to the tiny blemishes on skin Alita simply knocks it out the park. Its locations are vast, immersive, claustrophobic, lived in, #depressing & full to the brim with story telling/world building so much so that they could each tell a story themselves. #Animation is slick, fluid & #natural with #human & cgi interaction weighty & almost flawlessly done. Story wise its extremely empowering as we watch #Alita grow from & innocent child like #girl into a tuff driven #woman. Seeing Alita emit such wonderful human emotions such as #love, excitement & #happiness is not only #heartwarming but also #magical. Starting so warm & ending so bleak we see Alitas innocence almost ripped away from her as she is forced to #mature fast letting her primal instincts & bad human traits (such as jealousy/#anger) take control tarnishing her other wise loving/careing inner self. Its tense, adrenaline inducing stuff & this mixed with well constructed action & your token damn right nasty at times #robertrodriguez death scenes its not always the happiest of films either. #Deep themes are explored but theres alot of them too so only surfaces are scratched. My favourite being how #society/entertainment glorifies/condones violence & uses it as a tool to control us all. Negatives - if anything #Battleangel is far to short, i feel i needed another hour of content in there somewhere especially the final act which felt rushed. If we dont get a sequel or 3 i will be very disappointed as this is a fantastic world i simply must know more about it. A must see for sure. #edskrein is an absolute joy to watch too. #odeon #odeonlimitless #robot #thursdaythoughts
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Out of this world
#spidermanintothespiderverse isn't just an incredible film its also hands down THE best #Spiderman film period & a film fans of the #webhead simply must see. Wow what an intense, #nostalgic & visually breath taking movie, its downright #gorgeous with a dazzling & explosive colour pallet, great dimensional pop, slick smooth unique #animation & some of the most absolutely insane/creative camera angles ive seen all year. This film had my eyes constantly opening wider, searching around the screen trying to take in the immense/painstaking detail literally crammed into every scene. So much attention to detail & #love for years of spiderman material has gone into the making of this film that its honestly just a complete joy to behold. Story wise its a complete breath of fresh air too with constantly shocking plot twists a new spin on origins & extremely informative catch up scenes. Characters are all extremely likable & really well fleshed out & human that have to deal with some really tuff adult problems that i was not expecting to delve into in an #animated #film. Themes are vast here & my favourite explored how none of our #hero's really want the burden or responsibility of doing this as a job but understanding its their purpose/#destiny keeps them dedicated to it. There's also alot on commitment, loss, #courage, inner #demons, fate & #fear which again was awesome to see. Score & soundtrack wise it also shines with all the music intensifying & complimenting not only the tension but the obscure telltale visual style too. Speaking of tension its top notch too, there were scenes that had me sweating & sat on the edge of my seat in suspense & action so energetic, fluid & busy i felt goosebumps on my arms. While also absolutely #laugh out loud #hillarious the film can also be emotionally heavy at times too & i was surprised at just how often the film quickly got dark with either a surprising character death or deep philosophical dialog. Do yourself a favour see this in cinemas & in 3d we need #sony to realise this is the high quality spiderman we want more of. Simply stunning. #marvel #spidergwen #stanlee #mcu #comic #spiderpig #milesmorales #odeon #filmbuff #superhero
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Searching (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Look deeper
#searching #searchingmovie is an extremely intense, clever & emotionally draining film that for a directorial debut is actually quite a remarkable achievement. I like #Johncho I feel he's one of those actors that really doesnt get enough time to truly shine, so with him being the star of searching its great to see him finally get to seriously act. He's just so extremely likable & within the first 10 minutes we are introduced to him & his #family so well that an instant #emotional connection to them is formed. Told entirely through a screen searching does a great job of creating suspense & tension by using the flaws/interface of things we have all become a custom to as neat little visual cues (eg just missing a call by a few seconds, waiting for a video to buffer, seeing someone go offline while talking to them or even typing what you want to say only to delete it & type something different). This works perfectly & is never boring keeping you on edge & invested throughout while also being eerily #beautiful at times. Themes of neglect, distrust, loss & #depression are present throughout & theres also a sad look at how although we are all so connected to one another nowadays the sad fact is we have never also been more alone & afraid to show who we really are or what we are really thinking. Different sides of #Socialmedia are also explored well here too & we are shown how it can not only be used to help but also to hinder & manipulate even in a serious case like this (as well as people using the case to gain thier own fame too). Story wise its good with all the plot twists constantly shocking & unexpected with great build up too. Characters all have great back story & are all played well by the cast. My only gripe was the pacing after the final twist as it not only felt rushed but a little exposition heavy too. If your looking for a #film thats going to give your #emotions a run you'll #love Searching, while its no #nocturnalanimals its still smart, well constructed, gripping & an extremely entertaining little #drama. #instagram #apple #catfish #weekend #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmreview #filmcritic #internet #trending #youtube #facebook #followers #like
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated The Incredibles 2 (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Super
#pixar #disney #incredibles2 is an exceptional #sequel with a much more mature tone & flawless #animation. After doing a double bill of the incredibles films today in #4k I found myself awe of the technical achievement on show. This #film is stunning & I mean visual #perfection, particle effects are complex & mesmerising, #eyes house tiny red veins, faces blush & cloths contain intricate stitching too with character animation also being fluid & #natural. Subject matter is dark this time around & deals with extremely #adult themes, parents might want to think twice before taking kids to see this one as id say almost 80% of the film is a heavily dialog driven #drama. I wont lie at times its incredibly intense, heavy going & hard work but its also always fascinating & higly rewarding housing many very real world/mature themes with great complexity & depth. With things getting very serious the film does break things up every now & again with just enough huge scale top notch memorable action set pieces & slick comedy to let your brain rest briefly (however I found most #Kids in my screening were getting restless & bored by then so parents may want to think twice before taking the #family). Themes of death, jealousy, trust, lies, parent roll reversal, balancing home #life & family with work, teaching kids to be themselves while also making sure they obey the law & fit in, as well as metaphors about technology enslaving us all & how superhero films are only pushed on us to distract us from real world problems & belief someone else will solve all our problems for us (this is not only refreshing but expertly handled & over flowing with intelligence giving the #film a more human, realistic & relevant tone). Voice work is simply top notch with #bobodenkirk being the most interesting & going the extra mile. Score & #sound design are also on point & at times I swear I thought #jackjack was a #kid in my screening running around behind me. The last 20mins felt a tad rushed but with such likeable & well fleshed out characters & a more mature story #incredibles 2 might just be the most intelligent & #fun #superhero film or the year. #odeon #odeonlimitless #beautiful #hero #super
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Avengers: Infinity War (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
To infinity and beyond
#avengersinfinitywar is an intense, fast, slick & fun ride that pulls its viewers along at such a thrilling pace that you rarely have time to breathe. Im #happy to report #infitywar is a solid, well made & a very entertaining #film (it is however by no means perfect but it does come out overall as one of the best films that marvel has produced). From the start you can instantly tell production is high here, costumes & makeup ooze detail as do sets, the score is #beautiful & extremely epic & cgi its stellar (minus a few scenes where it looked a bit soft). This is a film that clearly has had not only alot of money but a lot of love put into it. Fight scenes are weighty, fluid & pack a sometimes brutal punch to them & they come thick & fast but never out stay their welcome. Set pieces are #gorgeous too with great camera work ranging from tight claustrophobic combat to huge dizzying establishing shots giving the film great scale. Acting is great all round with #joshbrolin as #thanos being the standout here, hes constantly intimidating visually & vocally with so much unpredictability & power his presence alone instantly made me #anxious. Story wise it keeps it interesting & everyone's motives are clear but i do feel that with so many characters to juggle you loose that connection & emotional impact from time to time. Also its a darker film but peril is quite void here & at times I felt no one was really in that much danger of being fataly hurt. Themes of sacrificing the things you #love for a greater purpose & the effects/impact power can have in different hands were interesting but id need to watch it again to see what its deeper over all message was. Lastly the ending is so clever, perfect, beautifully done & shocking that it left most of my screening breathlessly glued to our seats. Comedy works well here too with most jokes hitting without being to cringe. Overall its a damn good time & watching it with a big excited audience reminded me of what going to the cinema is all about 'Escapism' & 'fun' & #avengers really does provide both. #comicon #superhero #marvel #disney #guardiansofthegalaxy #thor #hulk #captainamerica #spiderman #groot #ironman #marvelcomics #mcu
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) in Movies
May 17, 2019
Dantes Inferno
#johnwick3 is an adrenalin shot to the #heart, delivering on almost all of its promises to be bigger, better & smarter than its previous instalments. #johnwick films have always risen above the generic & mundane action films we get bombarded with nowadays as they seem to understand what makes action thrilling as well as learning from the best action #classics of the past & #johnwick3parabellum is no exception to this either. JW3 (like John Wick the character himself) shows just how much its evolved, learnt new skills & matured as a film realising that action its self is too an art form just as graceful, elegant & smooth flowing as a #ballet. In fact the comparison to ballet, #dance & #theatre is present during most #action scenes making them a beautifully choreographed, atmospheric & visually stunning display of bullet barrages & swooping movement. Comparisons dont end there either i was thrilled to see John compared to #Dante (from #DantesInferno) & there are countless scenes inspired by or paying homage to old #westerns, #90s action films, #Korean #revenge films & old #kungfu/#Japanese mob films which was #respectful & added to the films #charm too. World building is expanded on more in this one also as are some characters stories & I absolutely #loved seeing John evolve & learn from each fight to help him progress/gain an edge over his opponents. #Fights are thrilling, wincingly #violent & so exhilarating that I once again found my #heart racing with highlights being a #knife in an old shop & gunfight involving attack #dogs which was incredibly fresh & intense. Cinematography is ravishing always especially when smoke, #neon & rain is being pumped out all across the screen with #electrifying & mood drenching effect. Sadly I do have some negatives, I found the last act shoddy compared to the intelligence, thrill & beauty of the first two. In this act an odd #humour creeps in that felt a bit off, #action feels subpar compared to what we've just already seen, the ending a little silly & i also found the main #villain under used & under developed. That being said its still a fantastically made, must see showstopper thats learnt from the best. #keanureeves #matrix