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The Cuckoo's Calling
The Cuckoo's Calling
Robert Galbraith | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (21 Ratings)
Book Rating
Cormoran Strike is a Private Investigator, who has just been hired by John Bristow to investigate the death of his sister Lula Landry. Lula is a model in England and she has had her share of issues, but no one expected her to commit suicide. Cormoran hasn't been very lucky in life himself as of late, and this case is exactly what he needs to get a jump start. The police have been all over the evidence and there is nothing to support any other outcome for this case, but Cormoran is determined to find out the truth. Will he be surprised by who the killer is or will he find out quickly? With the help of his temporary assistant Robin, the case with all it's secrets will reveal the true killer.

I was not a very big fan of Harry Potter so I was excited when J.K. Rowling decided to try other writing. I'm glad she chose a pseudonym, because I don't think I would have read the books as J.K. Rowling.

When I first started listening to this book, I got quite confused. Each section starts with a Latin phrase. I had to be sure I had the right book. But I will say I was drawn in from the very beginning.

Everyone knows who Lula Landry is and everyone was affected by her death. Her brother doesn't believe she would have committed suicide even though she has serious depression. Her friends don't think she would have done it either. But if she didn't jump from her balcony and no one saw anyone else with her, then what happened? Cormoran interviews everyone who was involved with Lula and some of them twice. He enlists the help of his temporary assistant Robin, who proves to be quite useful.

I think from the beginning Cormoran had an idea of who the killer was. There are little things that happen throughout the story that give you that idea when it's all said and done. I'm very interested to know what is going to happen next in Cormoran's life and what other adventures he and Robin will find themselves on.
  
King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo
2011 | Dice Game, Entertainment, Fighting, Science Fiction
Easy to teach (2 more)
Great at all player counts
Looks visually great
Games are over far too quickly sometimes (1 more)
Some cards are far too overpowered
Yahtzee With Monsters
Please note, this review is for the first edition of the game.

King of Tokyo is one of the first games I bought for myself, when I got back into board gaming years ago, and it's definitely a fantastic light filler game, that will appeal to all ages.

Players choose a monster, and then take it in turns rolling six custom dice up to three times (like Yahtzee,) to either attack other players, heal their own health, gain 1,2 or 3 victory points, or collect energy.

Once one player attacks another, they enter Tokyo, and gain an extra victory point for each turn they are in there, however, everyone else can attack you, and you can't heal, but your attacks hurt everyone else to counteract this. You can decide to exit Tokyo, which will put the last player who attacked you in there instead.

Energy is used to buy special cards that help you out in one way or another. This can be anything from allowing you to roll an additional die, to giving you an extra life if you are destroyed. Each card has a different energy cost to buy them, and generally the better cards cost more, although some cards cost very little, but can be very overpowered, which can throw a little imbalance in the game.

A player wins by either destroying all other monsters, or by gaining 20 victory points (although it's usually the former that occurs.)

King of Tokyo is a lot of fun, but sometimes the games can be over far too quickly, especially if someone gets lucky with the attack rolls and card purchases, and sometimes players can be eliminated early on, leaving them to sit and watch as the rest of the game is played.

Overall, I would recommend King of Tokyo to casual gamers, and those starting out in gaming, especially those with kids, as it's light, easy to teach, and fun to play.
  
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) created a post

Jan 16, 2018  
I know that it's a few weeks late, but I finally got around to doing my Best and Worst list of 2017 movies.


Quick disclaimer: I did not see every movie that dropped in 2017 and because I live in the UK, there are some movies that have been out in the US for months that have yet to be released here.
Lastly, this is just my opinion, so feel free to disagree with any or all of it.



The Best

Split (Jan)
iBoy (Jan)
Trainspotting 2 (Jan)

War On Everyone (Feb)
Lego Batman (Feb)
John Wick 2 (Feb)

Logan (March)
Kong Skull Island (March)
The Belko Experiment (March)

The Fate Of The Furious (Apr)
Free Fire (Apr)

The Wall (May)

Wonder Woman (June)
It Comes At Night (June)
Baby Driver (June)

Spiderman: Homecoming (July)
War For The Planet Of The Apes (July)
Dunkirk (July)
Atomic Blonde (July)
Detroit (July)

Wind River (Aug)
Logan Lucky (Aug)

It (Sept)
American Made (Sept)

Blade Runner 2049 (Oct)
Brawl In Cell Block 99 (Oct)
The Foreigner (Oct)

Thor Ragnarok (Nov)
Murder On The Orient Express (Nov)
Justice League (Nov)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Dec)





The Worst

Fist Fight (Feb)

Life (March)

King Arthur (May)
Baywatch (May)
Pirates 5 (May)

The Mummy (June)

The Dark Tower (August)
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (August)

Kingsman 2 (September)

The Greatest Showman (December)
Bright (December)




My Top 10 Of The Year (In no particular order)

Trainspotting 2
Logan
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Blade Runner 2049
Spiderman: Homecoming
Wind River
War For The Planet Of The Apes
Detroit
Baby Driver
Dunkirk




I found that when I was doing my list this year, that there were a quite a few movies that I was struggling to place on either the best or worst side. For example, Justice League and Murder On The Orient Express sneaked onto the best list, whereas Bright and The Dark Tower only fell onto the worst list because although I didn't hate them, I wasn't willing to label them the best 2017 had to offer. Maybe next year I should introduce another column titled "Films I felt pretty indifferent about."
     
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Joe Julians (221 KP) Jan 17, 2018

Ah I really liked Life and The Greatest Showman!

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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) Jan 22, 2018

I can't deny Jackman's talent as a performer, but it just wasn't my thing

Beware the Wild is a beautifully crafted novel that takes the Magical Realism realm to a new height. I loved how inhabited the world of this book is.

Not only does the swamp become a character in and of itself, it also sets the tone to the creepy and haunting vibe Parker is striving for.

I think what I like most about it is how the magic is wholly ingrained into this society by their obstinate to acknowledge that it is real. Each time it is brought up, especially to people who are able to understand the consequences of what is going on, there is such a fear about the truth that they refuse to talk about it. There's also the fact that, while they know there is something bad and probably magic about this swamp, these people do not know exactly what that magical thing is. SO instead of dealing with it, they build a fence and hope for the best.

The magic itself was something that is both beautiful and corrupting which was very intriguing and well thought out. Props to you, Ms Parker.

The characters in this book were all well drawn out. I was hoping for more of a backstory of what happened to the twins in the swamp to make them how they are. Yes, we do get a small amount of the reason, but I wished it was fleshed out a bit more.

Sterling and her brother had an odd dynamic, but it was a good one. I wish we would get more into Sterling and her motivations to why she makes certain choices, but she is still a strong character.

And Heath. Poor guy just wants to be able to live a little, right? Nope. He is my tragic hero in this book and I hope we get to see more of him in Behold the Bones because I loved him in this one.

I have been wanting to read this book for so long and I am so pleased with it! I was lucky enough to be able to meet the author at Yallwest this year and she was so incredibly sweet.

I am so excited to read the next book! I can't wait to get it!
  
RM
Reflect Me (Reflect Me, #1)
K.B. Webb | 2013
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first book by K.B. Webb I've ever read, and have found a new favorite to add to my list. After reading Reflect Me and Follow You Down I think I will buy just about anything this amazing writer publishes.

All of the characters in the stories are easy to relate to in some way. Molly is amazing. The way she grows, matures, and finds her true self on this journey is really inspiring. I've been lucky enough to not be a battered woman, but from the way Molly is written this is exactly how I would expect her to act. She starts of weak and timid with rumors flying around of how Molly used to be. Then she starts to cowgirl up if you will.

Logan is a stand up guy. He's been broken in the past, and doesn't really have that many people around him that he really trusts, but you quickly start to see a family come together. Logan is hoe I wish every man would act. Since I know every man doesn't act that way, he seems a little far fetched; but it works for this story.

The supporting characters (Wynee, Justin, Lucas, Brian, and Dani) are all great characters. They are never just filler and always add to the story, which I love. I can't stand characters that just take up space but then never really have a reason to be there in the first place.

Parts of this story were hard for me to read, not because they were bad, but because they were so real. There are several scenes that Molly endures and I had trouble picturing the hell she was going through, and I had trouble imagining what it would be like to hear these hateful words on a daily basis. The scene where Molly stands up for herself and finally starts to take her life back I literally cheered for her.

This book was well written, the characters were not at all one dimensional. I loved that this was an emotional book and also left me wanting more. I will definitely been one clicking more books by this author.
  
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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Hook in Books

Nov 11, 2019  
Hook
Hook
Gina L. Maxwell | 2019 | Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (1 more)
Action Packed
Heartbreaking & beautiful.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Murder, Abuse, Angst, Drug Use

As many of you know, I've been waiting anxiously for Hook to come out! I was one of the lucky bloggers that Gina gave a copy to in exchange for an honest review. I read Pan earlier this year and fell completely head over heels for Gina's writing, and I've been shoving Pan down everyone's throats because it is that amazing! Now, full disclosure, I have only read one other M/M romance, so I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew was that I couldn't wait to fly into Neverland again.

I built Hook up in my head so much that at times I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. Luckily, Hook was everything I wanted and more. This book follows Hook & John's story. The chemistry between them was out of this world. It was fun to see the anger, the angst, and the fire between the two of them. The characters as always were well written and thoroughly entertaining. I laughed, I cried, and I had to put my book down a few times, so I didn't throw my kindle.

The plotline was one of the shining stars of this book. It was action-packed, intense, and extremely engaging. I never wanted to put the book down, yet I enjoyed it so much I never wanted it to end. I loved the undercover aspect of the book, and it makes me want to reread some of my favorite romantic suspense. I was always on the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to see how everything unfolded.

All in all, I LOVED this book. It lived up to the hype that I had in my head, and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series when it comes out. If you enjoy angst-filled bad boys with a heart of gold, this is the book for you. Gina truly knows how to write angst in a way that everyone can enjoy.
  
LI
Lost in Wonderland
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<i>Lost in Wonderland</i> has got to be one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read, and if I’ve read a weirder book than this one, then this is the weirdest book I’ve read this year.

Okay, the book’s weirdness is what intrigued me to read the book in the first place. But let me say just how weird this book really is:

The book starts with a character named Mouse. Honestly, I thought the book started with a legit mouse (it really sounded like one as well). A flipping <i>mouse</i>! Who starts a book with a mouse?! Really, I just got so confused for awhile at the very beginning, so to save everyone else’s sanity, the main character is not actually a mouse.

It’s a reference to some of the characters involved in Lewis Carroll’s <i>Alice In Wonderland</i>. After that got cleared out, the plot actually made a lot more sense. (Let’s also keep in mind that I do not remember the synopsis of a book. I read it, I find it interesting, I get the book myself, and then actually read the book. Maybe I’ll remember the synopsis if I’m lucky.)

But anyways, <i>Lost In Wonderland</i> is extremely weird. As in, top of the notch weird. It’s disturbing and gruesome and twisted. But it’s such a good kind of weird, that I think this entire series would be a really cool TV show. <i>Lost In Wonderland</i> is basically Law &amp; Order, CSI - just think of any crime related shows - with a fairy tale twist. I just can’t get how awesome this would be on an actual screen, and I just want to see if Peacock incorporates any other fairy tales or just <i>Alice In Wonderland</i>.
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<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-lost-in-wonderland-by-nicky-peacock/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>