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An Unkindness of Magicians
An Unkindness of Magicians
Kat Howard | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was framed very oddly in the way you jumped into the story without any background. This makes roughly half of the book difficult to follow. Once the character and situational background is revealed piece by piece you begin to understand the story. I get that I only truly understood the book over the course of the last chapter.

The story follows a female magician as she tries to find her way in the Unseen World. Along the way she encounters murder, manipulation and betrayal. Will she be able to escape her painful past? Will she survive the challenges ahead of her? Where does she belong?
  
The Walking Dead  - Season 3
The Walking Dead - Season 3
2012 | Drama
Character Development (4 more)
Setting
Zombie Makeup
Exciting Storyline
Surprising Twists
Keeps Getting Better
Although I'm not the biggest fan of The Govenor even as a villian, I have a certain appreciation for his skill at lying and manipulation. In this season we find our favorite characters confronted with a whole new set of problems, trying to establish a steady homestead and learning how to live alongside neighbors. Much to say everything goes sideways and then some as war breaks out, not between the living and the dead, but between two struggling parties of survivors. This is a wonderful new twist to an already amazing, established show. My second time watching and I'm still in love with it!
  
Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel
Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel
Tom Wainwright | 2017 | Business & Finance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Dummies guide to understanding and quashing the worldwide drugs trade
What a fantastic book. Tom Wainwright manages to describe the global drug cartels as a business economic model which makes total sense. It is not just the violence and torture, it’s the revelations about the level of managerial stress. Running a drugs cartel, it seems, is not only a moral and legal minefield but a human resources, marketing and supply chain nightmare. The gang-centric tattoos that cartel foot-soldiers sport, were instigated to prevent staff jumping to another outfit or, worse, going straight.

Wainwright makes clear that those seeking to stop the drugs trade fail due to their insistence on treating it like a war, when they should treat it like a market manipulation. Such a clever book.
  
Game Of Thrones  - Season 5
Game Of Thrones - Season 5
2015 | Sci-Fi
Walk of shame (4 more)
Sparrow
Tyrells
Tyrion
Arya
Walk of shame
Another great season of the show. Each season i continue to root for Tyrion Arya and the Tyrells though my love of the Tyrell's is because i want to become the Queen of thrones when I'm old. Sparrow was a sneaky stand out this season and he manipulation of religion for his own purpose is great. Finally Cersi had some punishment fitting things she has done though.

Arya training this season is also stand out entry into the house of black and white is superb and skills she is learning is great for anyone that small and want to be powerful.


Daenerys now has Tyrion as a adviser and as someone that loves Tyrion and loves dragons I am so envious of the Stormborn right now and kind of want her to win just because of her logic of an adviser.
  
King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo
2011 | Dice Game, Entertainment, Fighting, Science Fiction
Short-medium length (3 more)
Skill/Luck Combo
Different strategies can win
Excellent theme
This is a game I consistently come back to as a lightweight game to spice up a hohum evening. I love the theme of this game and how the cards that you are able to buy play so well into the theme and add tremendous amounts of replayability to it. The mechanics in the game are super simple and I have no problem brining it to the table for gamers and non-gamers alike. Pertaining to it's wide assessibility, this game scales so well for all of its player counts. I've even been able to play a four monster game with 2 and 3 people. Lastly, this game was one of my first Yahtzee style, dice manipulation games, but due to my fiance and my enjoyment of the game, we've been excited to try more with the same mechanism.
  
Once Upon a Broken Sky (Grimmfay, #0.5)
Once Upon a Broken Sky (Grimmfay, #0.5)
M.T. DeSantis | 2023 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Enchanting afternoon read

Oh my! A magical story without a fairytale ending.....well, not a classic happy ever after at least.
    Once Upon a Broken Sky is a mix of childlike wonder, manipulation, growing up fast, magic, illusion and so much more.
    I think I was a bit slow working out who some of the characters were before their life at Grimmfay but it made so much sense when I realised and things fell into place.
    I like that it mirrors real life slightly, in that one situation is replaced with another that appears to be better but actually isn't. I can't explain it as you seriously need to read this and find out for yourself.
    I'd recommend this for teenagers and above, partly as there would be a better understanding of the story and partly for some great talking points that create awareness for real life.
  
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
2019 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Good cast (0 more)
Not as weird as I expected (0 more)
Strange
After hearing that this involved the key players in @Nightcrawler (2014) ,which is excellent so check that out, I had to check this out. A very satirical take on the Modern Art world and the greed of Art agents, gallery owners. After a bunch of paintings are found after the death of an artist everyone wants to get their share of the profits to make a fortune.
Quite an odd film although not as odd or surreal as say @The Neon Demon (2016) but hard to describe as a horror. An interesting take on the art world and the manipulation of critics, owners, advisors to have a piece of the latest trend. Sadly it turns out to be quite average overall and would have benefitted from being a bit more unusual. A lot of the cast are wasted in small roles and unnecessary scenes.
  
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Morgan Sheppard (926 KP) created a post

Apr 4, 2020  
Freebie Alert*~* Stay at home and read *~*

Broken Masterpiece by Tee Smith ~~FREE~ Limited time only.

When nothing makes sense, who do you trust?

With no memory of her past, Charlie has no choice but to cling to what she knows, and what she’s been told. But what if none of that is real?

Desperate for answers, she searches for remnants of the life she had. Her last memory was more than ten years ago. She has a husband who loves her, a nice home in the suburbs, but she can’t shake the feeling he is hiding something.

What if everyone she trusts have their own agenda?

As her memory returns and the lies become known, there is no way of going back.

Sometimes not knowing the truth can be a blessing, rather than a curse.

Broken Masterpiece is a story of violence, manipulation and above all else, survival.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GJTN75T
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07GJTN75T
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GJTN75T
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07GJTN75T
     
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John Lydon recommended Raw Power by The Stooges in Music (curated)

 
Raw Power by The Stooges
Raw Power by The Stooges
1973 | Punk, Rock
8.4 (9 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I’d never seen the Stooges as early punks or anything—that’s media manipulation of facts; I loved them, but I was always appalled with their long hair. By this time my record collection was enormous and expanding, and my tastes were extremely varied. During the punk years, I really loved the Raincoats and X-Ray Spex and the Adverts, groups that were doing things way out on their own. There was plenty of experimentation going on musically in all areas, particularly reggae.” “I lack prejudice except for music that I find to be reminiscent of somebody else’s work—I find no need for endless Chuck Berry versions, which was very popular at the time. And I had little time for what was coming out of America; bands like Television never really grabbed me, I just couldn’t connect. It was all too clever for its own good and wrapped up in too much Rimbaud poetry: Get over it and write about your own life, not what you find in books."

Source
  
Bird Box (2018)
Bird Box (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Manipulation of viewers anxiety (0 more)
No substance, wastes valuable plot opportunities, poor story telling (0 more)
So much hype so little substance
I was reluctant to watch this as it didn't immediately strike me as something I'd enjoy, however I read so much hype and praise for it, I simply had to.

When it started I was hopeful that actually this might just provide a pleasant surprise for me but by the end I was disappointed and left wanting more.

Let's face it, we've seen this film before in several different guises, 'The Mist' 'The Crazies' they all have one thing in common that makes me sigh every time, lack of depth. There's no imagination and explanation, in concept this could have been so much more but it remains a creature-less, face-less disappointment.

The whole premise relies on exploiting the viewers anxiety over the care of the children and the need to protect. I may be missing the point and I know this is a commentary on mental health but it's tenuous at best and I felt cheated by something that could have been so much more.