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Catherine (40 KP) rated 13 Reasons Why in TV

Aug 29, 2017

13 Reasons Why

2017 | Drama

7.7

(53 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

They tried? (0 more)

It doesn't fit with my personal experiences with self-harm and suicide (0 more)

Poor Portrayal

To be honest, I didn't finish this series. It was THAT bad. I personally struggle with clinical depression and have some friends who have considered and/or attempted suicide. To me, it was a poor representation of what I have experiences. Suicide is a personal decision, chosen by people who don't feel as though their life is worth living anymore. Oftentimes, this decision IS reached after a person has been a victim of bullying and/or abuse. However, these events lead to a person devaluing his/her life and suffering so much they just want to end it. In the series, the girl seems confident in her analysis of each event and tells them how they should have acted differently in certain situations. It has been a while since I watched it, so I don't remember specific details that bothered me, but I don't remember her holding herself accountable for anything. There was no self deprecation or even much introspection. Perhaps others' experiences are different, but this series was so different from what I have experienced; it really didn't strike a chord with me as it seems to have other viewers.

Kudos

Michael Packner (32 KP) rated Monopoly in Tabletop Games

Jun 15, 2019

Monopoly

1935 | Business / Industrial, Economic

6.8

(80 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

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.

Kudos

ClareR (6054 KP) rated The Only Story in Books

Mar 7, 2018

The Only Story

Julian Barnes | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

A beautifully sad love story

"Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only really question."
This is a book to be savoured and to have time taken over it. It just seems so personal and private, and frankly, I felt nosey reading it. It illustrates a 19 year old boys great love - a 48 year old woman who he meets at a tennis club during his holidays from University. This love endures through disapproval of both families and many hardships before the end.
It was interesting that the book moved through the use of first person when the love was new and exciting, second person when the relationship began to encounter problems and third person at the end when he is more detached from his lover, Joan. Watching the slide of someone in to addiction and eventually, dementia, was a particularly sad part of the novel, with his personal guilt and inaction increasing the melancholy and sadness of the whole situation. At the end of this book, I finished the last page and found myself sitting and thinking about it for a while. It really is a very affecting book.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2470 KP) rated Force of Habit (Falcone & Driscoll Investigation #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Giulia Falcone is 10 months out of the convent and struggling to make her way in the world. She’s landed a job working for PI Frank Driscoll, and their current case involves a stalker. Someone is leaving notes for Blake from Song of Solomon and for his fiancée from the prophets. When Giulia also finds herself a target of the stalker, she and Frank have a personal motive to find out what is happening.

Having read another book with these characters, I was interested in seeing where it all began. Giulia is a fascinating character, and I really identified with her even though I’ve never gone through what she’s facing here. That’s great writing. One thing she is dealing with in her personal life and this case is sex, and I felt the book went too far in the second half, but the book was worth reading. The banter between Giulia and Frank helped lighten things at times. The pacing was a bit off a time or two. It’s a first mystery, and I know the author’s plotting gets better.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-force-of-habit-by-alice.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.