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Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Entertainment, Games
I wanted to give this 10/10 purely for being Harry Potter however I have restrained myself and been honest instead.
I have left it a while to review this game as they have been adding quite a lot of new features recently.

A lot of people have been moshing about the energy situation, however I think the developers are aware a lot of people were unhappy and have added features to help combat this. You can now buy pets which will give you extra energy throughout the day. In the latest classes challenge you can earn energy as a reward. Duelling club, every time you win a duel you get 4 energy and if you win a certain amount of duels you will earn more energy as well. Also there are now 3 ways you can build friendships and as you level up a friend you can earn energy.

I actually like the energy restriction as it means you take some time playing the game instead of rushing through. Also I find it fits in with my work day well, when I get a break to play, I’ll have full energy waiting for me.

I would like some more situations where you get to chose what to do as I feel sometimes the game can be quite scripted.

Overall I love this game and hope I don’t reach seventh year too quickly as I don’t want it to end.
  
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby by Girls Against Boys
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby by Girls Against Boys
1993 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This was the record that sold me on that band. When I lived in Sacramento California I lived right next door to this little club called the Press Club, and they were playing there. I was sitting on my porch and their van pulled up and I started talking to them. That was when they were touring that record, and it was my favourite record at that time. It's heavy, but it has a lot of groove to it - I don't know if there were too many groups who were doing that kind of riff rock, but it had all these discord sounds to it, and then two bass players, one of them using distortion the whole time and the other guy holding down the low end, the keyboard player playing vibes. It didn't sound like anything else at the time. They were from DC, where a lot of my favourite bands are from, like Fugazi, Minor Threat, these bands who started a lot of scenes in music. I never got too into political rock and roll, obviously great lyrics are great lyrics, but what grabs me is the cadence of the singer, how they choose to deliver the words. And that dude, he had this raspy voice, this distinct voice, to me it was more sex, he has this loungy kind of vibe. Lyrically he seemed to talk about partying, drugs, and girls."

Source
  
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Mark Arm recommended Teaching You The Fear by Really Red in Music (curated)

 
Teaching You The Fear by Really Red
Teaching You The Fear by Really Red
2015 | Alternative, Compilation, Punk, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Really Red are from Texas and they released Teaching You The Fear in 1981. My friend Smithy and I had a fanzine called Attack and that was one of the records that came through. Our first band Mr. Epp eventually played with them. There's a lot going on in that band for a so-called hardcore punk band. There was a lot of cool stuff coming out of Texas in the early 80s like Big Boys and The Dicks, a little later the Butthole Surfers. Really Red was quite a political band. So many political punk bands were really strident like Crass but in the wake of Maximumrocknroll fanzine many of them were 16-year-old kids spouting shit about stuff they didn't really understand. And who wants to take advice from someone with a very small worldview? Really Red were a little older, maybe five to eight years older than me, and I know this because Ronnie Bond eventually moved up to Seattle and I got to know him a little. Those guys were old enough that when The MC5 came through Houston in the early 70s they hung out with them. Really thoughtful guys but most importantly kick-ass songs. Kelly Younger was a really unique guitar player. They also referenced Nico and The Velvet Underground as well as political punk stuff. They just seemed a little broader than a lot of things that were happening at the time in the hardcore scene in particular."

Source
  
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ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Bass Rock in Books

May 29, 2020 (Updated May 29, 2020)  
The Bass Rock
The Bass Rock
Evie Wyld | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Bass Rock is based around three different women: Sarah, Ruth and Viviane - and of course, the Bass Rock seems to be a constant. It really exists, I've googled it, and it's off the coast of North Berwick in Scotland. This is where the story is set.

The novel looks at a lot of themes over the years: the role of women, both their expected role and what they actually want to do; relationships between men and women, and those relationships between women as well; cruelty and abuse; and mental health is an important theme, and indeed is central to a great many of the characters.

It's just the kind of book that I enjoy reading, both in style and thematic content. Sometimes you just need a book that ticks along, one that's in no rush to get where it's going. If that makes you think that this is a boring book, it really isn't. There's a lot going on in these timelines, the characters have a lot of things to deal with in their relationships and lives in general, but I never felt rushed. It's a book that I wanted to last. In fact, I really do think that this has been an ideal book to read during this coronavirus lockdown. I think that it will also be a book that I gift to other people.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me my ebook copy.
  
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Merissa (12894 KP) rated Broken (Reflections, #1) in Books

Apr 4, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Broken (Reflections, #1)
Broken (Reflections, #1)
Dean Murray | 2013 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Adri is dealing with a lot at the moment. She has lost half of her family and really her mum isn't really there either, except sporadically - VERY sporadically. They have moved to a new town which is a lot smaller than were they have come from and she knows that she will be focus of attention for a while. She is befriended by another 'new' girl, Brittany, who has only been there for a year. Somehow, she manages to draw the attention of the two hottest guys at the school and is drawn into the middle of something she doesn't understand.

There are already a lot of comments saying that this is like Twilight so I won't bother with any of that. All I will say is that although there are similarities, there are also big differences. This book actually made me shout out (much to my husband's delight and confusion) as Adri thought her mysterious benefactor was one person and I was shouting that it wasn't, it was someone else.

I really enjoyed this book and will be getting Torn which is the next book in the series. This is definitely one for me to continue reading but I definitely need to know Alec's side in this! If you like YA, Twilight, shapeshifters, then give this one a go. Recommended.
 
* Verified Purchase - February 2013 *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 10, 2016
  
Tangled In Tinsel
Tangled In Tinsel
Ellen Mint | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
the letter made me cry!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Taken straight from the blurb, this best describes this book! This gay, Hallmark-influenced romance is a heart-warming, hilarious, steamy mug of Christmas cocoa.

And it really is a wonderful read! I have a lot of holiday stories in my review list this year and this is the most fun read, I think, of the lot.

Dean is chasing that elusive find, the one that would save his business and make his name in the antiques world. Finding it is Tinsel, and meeting Levi again, was fate. Then the snow comes, Dean's nemesis also arrives and Dean is faced with making the decision of his life.

There follows an hilarious tale of two men falling in love, over a cradle; a lot of interruptions to their moments and a horse ride from hell and I really can't go into too much more, save for spoilers!

But it really is a wonderful read. And I loved the connection that Levi had to the cradle, and just what else Levi has to give to Dean.

The letter though, made me cry!

Oh, and the epilogue did too!

I can't see that I've read anything else by this author, and I think I need to correct that, right quick (just as soon as my review list lets me!)

4 wonderful stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
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Merissa (12894 KP) rated Dearest Malachi Keogh (Dearest Milton James #2) in Books

Nov 16, 2021 (Updated Jul 10, 2023)  
Dearest Malachi Keogh (Dearest Milton James #2)
Dearest Malachi Keogh (Dearest Milton James #2)
N.R. Walker | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Now, you may remember that I fell in love with Julian and Malachi in DEAREST MILTON JAMES, which I declared a Mary Poppins book - practically perfect in every way! Let me tell you that this one is no different. DEAREST MALACHI KEOGH is simply outstanding. There's a whole lot packed into this novella, and I devoured every single word.

Malachi and Julian have been together for four years, and Julian wants to propose BUT he wants it to be as special as Malachi is. *Hint* that's a lot!! The whole gang gets involved and what you get is something totally sweet and completely hot at the same time.

My word, but I love these two. I could read them forever, seriously. Told from Julian's perspective, you feel everything. His nerves, his hope, his love. I love Malachi's reactions. He is still fabulous but now doesn't have his hair dyed (shame!).

For a short but sweet seasonal story, this one was fantastic. I loved it, and the characters were like old friends. I really hope this isn't the end of the mailroom. I enjoy myself far too much there.

Do I recommend it? Erm, maybe just a little WHOLE LOT!!! 😍

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
Nov 16, 2021
  
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Julie (77 KP) rated Honestly Ben in Books

Oct 21, 2017  
Honestly Ben
Honestly Ben
Bill Konigsberg | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
My review: "This book is full of ups and downs; basically I felt like I was on a roller coaster. This was a good thing, and kinda a bad thing. I felt like Ben didn’t really know what he wanted, which he admits, but because of that he makes some unwise choices. I was actually disappointed how things turned out with Hannah. That mess could have been avoided.

A lot of other reviewers/readers have expressed some negative feelings with how Ben deals with his sexuality. For me, it wasn’t that big of an issue because there is no guide book to sexuality or discovering your sexuality. There’s no one way. Everyone has their own story. Yes, Ben was super confused, and even at the end he has a lot to figure out. But that’s okay. He needs time to figure it out." You can find the entire review here: https://thenerdybookwormsite.wordpress.com/2017/10/21/honestly-ben-by-bill-konigsberg/
  
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.2 (101 Ratings)
Book Rating
Complex range of human emotion in this coming of age book
I read this book after watching the film so I made a lot of comparisons. For one while there are scenes that completely match the book, there are quite a lot of parts missing in the film. No doubt the book is far more detailed - I loved the film so reading it was equally pleasurable. It's more than a coming of age film, it explores prejudice, mental health, sexuality, abuse, so it's more meaningful than expected. Written in a series of letters, Charlie has symptoms of some kind of mental health issue that isn't explicitly mentioned so his attitude to the world is very straightforward yet complex. He watches human behaviour more than participating in social situations. My only gripe is that the writing is pretty bad, and I'm accounting this to the fact the author is trying to write as a 16 year-old boy. Easy to read though.
  
Yellow Brick War
Yellow Brick War
Danielle Paige | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The continuing development and interactions of Lulu and Ozma (0 more)
The new villain in this book seemed to be added to the story to continue the series rather than being relevant to the plot (1 more)
A lot of time is spent in Kansas rather than in Oz but still the Kansas plot line seems underdeveloped and clouded
'War'
I'm uncertain on how I actually feel about this novel. To me, there was a lot left un-clarified, with there being certain chapters and scenes that could have been better utilised by developing backstory and deepening knowledge of particular characters and their histories. Although there was some action in this novel it did not feel enough for a novel with the word 'war' in its title. It was good to see characters that had small roles in the first and second novels become more pertinent and important in the series throughout this instalment. I valued this as it provided some variety from the depictions of Amy and the 'Wicked' ones.