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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Hidden Gold: A True Story of the Holocaust in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<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'm generally not a memoir person. But if I'm going to read a memoir (or even nonfiction), I'll choose anything about the Holocaust (I find that time period sadistically interesting).
<i>Hidden Gold</i> deserves about as much praise as Anne Frank's <i>Diary of a Young Girl</i>. A story set in another part of Europe (Poland) during Hitler's reign, Burakowski tells us her family's survival, hidden away from society in the hopes that they won't be found out.
For two years, the Golds hid with the Lanskis in a small part of a barn in Kolkow, surviving with very little sustenance. During that time, their hope dwindles little by little, but the two families still cling on to their pasts, even if that life will be impossible to get back to after everything blows over.
I loved how Burakowski introduces us to her family and the people that the Golds were involved with, giving us lots of background information on how Leib met Hanna and how the Golds lived their life in the early parts of the war. Burakowski also gives us insight on the growing hypocrisy and horrors among society as Hitler's power and anti-Semitism grew, giving us visuals on how life was like for the Jews back in the late 1930s and early 1940s. We're also shown the inner turmoils going on with those who had good relations with Jews and now having to choose whether or not they should help Jews, or give in to the propaganda.
Shoshana, Hanna's daughter, is extremely admirable. She's willing to go out to the Germans, pretending to be one of them, to buy her family time. She is also willing to risk her life a few times to get her family's money from Pi?czów, and going back again <em>while</em> she felt ill. If I were in her place, I'd probably continue to curl up in a fetal little ball. (Despite the fact I'm considered living in "poverty," I'm pretty much a lucky duckling. Also, being an only child, I'm probably a <em>little</em> spoiled.)
David is perhaps one of those where all the feels will come. Like any little kid, he's full of mischief and mayhem, but going through such a dark time at a really young age, he's extremely brave, confident, and has the most hope for the family getting out alive.
Although most of <i>Hidden Gold</i> is focused on the Gold's survival during Hitler running rampant with the final solution, Burakowski finalizes the story from David's viewpoint with how each of the family members were impacted years later in the future. For those interested in what happened in other parts of Europe or a survival story outside of concentration camps, Ella Burakowski's <i>Hidden Gold</i> makes a fantastic contribution depicting the horrors of the Holocaust.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-hidden-gold-by-ella-burakowski/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I'm generally not a memoir person. But if I'm going to read a memoir (or even nonfiction), I'll choose anything about the Holocaust (I find that time period sadistically interesting).
<i>Hidden Gold</i> deserves about as much praise as Anne Frank's <i>Diary of a Young Girl</i>. A story set in another part of Europe (Poland) during Hitler's reign, Burakowski tells us her family's survival, hidden away from society in the hopes that they won't be found out.
For two years, the Golds hid with the Lanskis in a small part of a barn in Kolkow, surviving with very little sustenance. During that time, their hope dwindles little by little, but the two families still cling on to their pasts, even if that life will be impossible to get back to after everything blows over.
I loved how Burakowski introduces us to her family and the people that the Golds were involved with, giving us lots of background information on how Leib met Hanna and how the Golds lived their life in the early parts of the war. Burakowski also gives us insight on the growing hypocrisy and horrors among society as Hitler's power and anti-Semitism grew, giving us visuals on how life was like for the Jews back in the late 1930s and early 1940s. We're also shown the inner turmoils going on with those who had good relations with Jews and now having to choose whether or not they should help Jews, or give in to the propaganda.
Shoshana, Hanna's daughter, is extremely admirable. She's willing to go out to the Germans, pretending to be one of them, to buy her family time. She is also willing to risk her life a few times to get her family's money from Pi?czów, and going back again <em>while</em> she felt ill. If I were in her place, I'd probably continue to curl up in a fetal little ball. (Despite the fact I'm considered living in "poverty," I'm pretty much a lucky duckling. Also, being an only child, I'm probably a <em>little</em> spoiled.)
David is perhaps one of those where all the feels will come. Like any little kid, he's full of mischief and mayhem, but going through such a dark time at a really young age, he's extremely brave, confident, and has the most hope for the family getting out alive.
Although most of <i>Hidden Gold</i> is focused on the Gold's survival during Hitler running rampant with the final solution, Burakowski finalizes the story from David's viewpoint with how each of the family members were impacted years later in the future. For those interested in what happened in other parts of Europe or a survival story outside of concentration camps, Ella Burakowski's <i>Hidden Gold</i> makes a fantastic contribution depicting the horrors of the Holocaust.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-hidden-gold-by-ella-burakowski/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Sheridan (209 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Shadow Of The Tomb Raider in Video Games
Sep 27, 2018
Graphics are incredible (2 more)
Gameplay is flawless
Story is engaging and interesting
A Visual Masterpiece
I'll do my best not to gush too much, but holy mother of - this game, you guys - this game is utterly phenominal. The graphics, oh wow! The trees, the water, Lara's hair! It's all totally on point. Amazing all round, I spent the first ten minutes just looking around because let me tell you the graphics are just beautiful. The gameplay is similar to the other two Tomb Raider games but with a few new interesting ideas, the skill tree gives you a bunch of great perks that *really* help when you get further into the story. The collectibles are interesting and at some stages challenging to find, I honestly can't remember whether or not Rise of the Tomb Raider had the GPS caches but they've done away with that idea in SotTR and gone with Survival caches which are great for upgrading. They've also got a new idea where you find monoliths which give you a rare survival caches if you can solve the riddle ;) Another new feature are Crypts which are like mini challenge tombs, once you complete it you recieve an outfit which you restore at your base camps, and wearing those gives you extra game perks (they're also pretty which is fun too). The challenge tombs are great fun and give you perks in your skill tree, you can't get unless you complete them, so it's worthwhile doing them. Once you've finished the game, you have the option to have another crack at it in New Game +, you keep all your skills, outfits and weapons (at the moment I'm a bit of the way through this with the game on 'One with the Jungle' which is the hard setting). The story is really interesting and based on Mayan legends, which I won't spoil for you, needless to say it's fantastic :) TL;DR: It's f**king phenominal, get it, you won't be disappointed :)
Safari Simulator: Lion
Games and Entertainment
App
Explore the wild savanna and live life as a Lion! Survive in a massive world filled with dangerous...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Outlast in Video Games
Nov 7, 2020
Survivor The Asylum
Outlast- is a excellent survival first person horror game set inside a asylum.
The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, located deep in the mountains of Lake County, Colorado.
Outlast, the player assumes the role of investigative journalist Miles Upshur, as he navigates a dilapidated psychiatric hospital in Leadville, Colorado that is overrun by homicidal patients. The game is played from a first-person perspective and features some stealth gameplay mechanics. The player can walk, run, crouch, jump, climb ladders and vault over objects. Unlike most games, however, the player doesn't have a visible health bar on the screen and is unable to attack enemies. The player must instead rely on stealth tactics such as hiding in lockers, sneaking past enemies, staying in the shadows and hiding behind or under things in order to survive. Alternatively, the player can attempt to outrun their pursuer. If the player dies, the game will reset to the most recent checkpoint.
Most of the hospital is unlit, and the only way for the player to see while in the dark is through the lens of a camcorder equipped with night vision. Using the night vision mode will slowly consume batteries, forcing the player to scavenge for additional batteries found throughout the asylum. Outlast makes heavy use of traditional jump scares and audio cues, which alert the player if an enemy has seen them.
GameSpot gave the game a positive review as well stating that "Outlast isn't really a game of skill, and as it turns out, that makes sense. You're not a cop or a soldier or a genetically enhanced superhero. You're just a reporter. And as a reporter, you don't possess many skills with which you can fend off the hulking brutes, knife-wielding stalkers, and other homicidal maniacs who lurk in the halls of the dilapidated Mount Massive Asylum. You can't shoot them, or punch them, or rip pipes from the walls to clobber them with. You can only run and hide".
The aslyum setting is creepy, horrorfying, scary and terrorfying.
Its a excellent survival horror game.
The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, located deep in the mountains of Lake County, Colorado.
Outlast, the player assumes the role of investigative journalist Miles Upshur, as he navigates a dilapidated psychiatric hospital in Leadville, Colorado that is overrun by homicidal patients. The game is played from a first-person perspective and features some stealth gameplay mechanics. The player can walk, run, crouch, jump, climb ladders and vault over objects. Unlike most games, however, the player doesn't have a visible health bar on the screen and is unable to attack enemies. The player must instead rely on stealth tactics such as hiding in lockers, sneaking past enemies, staying in the shadows and hiding behind or under things in order to survive. Alternatively, the player can attempt to outrun their pursuer. If the player dies, the game will reset to the most recent checkpoint.
Most of the hospital is unlit, and the only way for the player to see while in the dark is through the lens of a camcorder equipped with night vision. Using the night vision mode will slowly consume batteries, forcing the player to scavenge for additional batteries found throughout the asylum. Outlast makes heavy use of traditional jump scares and audio cues, which alert the player if an enemy has seen them.
GameSpot gave the game a positive review as well stating that "Outlast isn't really a game of skill, and as it turns out, that makes sense. You're not a cop or a soldier or a genetically enhanced superhero. You're just a reporter. And as a reporter, you don't possess many skills with which you can fend off the hulking brutes, knife-wielding stalkers, and other homicidal maniacs who lurk in the halls of the dilapidated Mount Massive Asylum. You can't shoot them, or punch them, or rip pipes from the walls to clobber them with. You can only run and hide".
The aslyum setting is creepy, horrorfying, scary and terrorfying.
Its a excellent survival horror game.
Rally Racer 2016 : Ultra Racing Car Game
Games and Entertainment
App
Extremely challenging event, Get ready for realtime knockout racing in car, feel the furious racing...
The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast
Book
Michael Scott Moore, a journalist and the author of Sweetness and Blood, incorporates personal...
Chrissy (8 KP) rated Bewitching Hannah in Books
Jan 25, 2018
Bewitching Hannah is a page turner about 16-year-old Hannah. It tells an amazing tale of how her life changes, challenges she faces, and survival. Hannah has lost both of her parents, and goes to live with her Aunt J. When she starts school, she makes new friends, and frenemies. Although dealing with these high school mean girls does not happen in the normal fashion.
Hannah has spent her entire life trying to be ordinary. With help from her new friends, a new love, and her aunt, she comes to terms with the fact that she is anything but ordinary. She embraces who and what she is to save the ones she loves and all the people in her town.
This is a powerful tale of self-acceptance with magical elements. There are characters you grow to love, and others you grow to hate. An incredible read, one that I couldnt put down.
I voluntarily received an early reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Hannah has spent her entire life trying to be ordinary. With help from her new friends, a new love, and her aunt, she comes to terms with the fact that she is anything but ordinary. She embraces who and what she is to save the ones she loves and all the people in her town.
This is a powerful tale of self-acceptance with magical elements. There are characters you grow to love, and others you grow to hate. An incredible read, one that I couldnt put down.
I voluntarily received an early reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Wish it hadn't been written like a screenplay
The Tattooist of Auschwitz reads like a fictional story set during the Holocaust, but what makes it remarkable is the fact that it is anything but formulated.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Shayde (75 KP) rated The Forest in Video Games
Jun 23, 2018
Interesting Story (4 more)
Interactive, Open World
Peaceful Mode
Immersive
Great Survival Game
cannibals (2 more)
mutants
caves
Scarily Fun
This game has been my most recent obsession. I love playing it. It takes a lot of play to actually piece together what's going on, but you can just have fun without the story. I play more often on peaceful mode which allows me to just explore the island, and craft houses and other things. The game revolves around finding your son, who was kidnapped after your plane crashed on an island. There are a bunch of underground caves that you have to explore to find different items and clues that explain what's really going on around the island. However, you also have to fight off mutants and cannibals who roam the island trying to kill you while you're trying to survive and find your son. Overall, I really like the game; it has an interesting concept and story, and even just on peaceful mode, you can spend hours exploring, hunting, building, crafting, and just surviving in the forest.