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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Color by Kristin: How to Design Your Own Beautiful Knits in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Color by Kristin is an awesome knitting book, great for knitters who love to design their own projects. My realm is free-forming to create patterns, so flipping through this book was a lot of fun and very inspiring. I have a passion for color, and this book made my mouth water and my fingers twitch.
There are 25+ patterns—very colorful patterns—and a variety of graphs in the back for creating your own variations. The patterns range from very beginner to advanced, but they all have similarities: using graphs, embroidery, and several colors to create beautiful knits. There are mittens, socks, hats, scarves, shawls and wraps, pillows, sweaters, ottomans… the list goes on and on.
In the back is a "designer sourcebook" full of ideas for color changing, stitch patterns, color mixing, edges and trim, and of course graphs galore. The graphs are sorted by how many stitches your project has to have: several graphs for multiples of 2 stitches all the way up to multiples of 30.
If you love color, love fair isle, or love creating your own unique knits, this is the ideal book for you.
There are 25+ patterns—very colorful patterns—and a variety of graphs in the back for creating your own variations. The patterns range from very beginner to advanced, but they all have similarities: using graphs, embroidery, and several colors to create beautiful knits. There are mittens, socks, hats, scarves, shawls and wraps, pillows, sweaters, ottomans… the list goes on and on.
In the back is a "designer sourcebook" full of ideas for color changing, stitch patterns, color mixing, edges and trim, and of course graphs galore. The graphs are sorted by how many stitches your project has to have: several graphs for multiples of 2 stitches all the way up to multiples of 30.
If you love color, love fair isle, or love creating your own unique knits, this is the ideal book for you.
Lumos (380 KP) rated Bellabeat Leaf in Tech
May 11, 2018
I LOVE my Leaf by Bellabeat. I wear it everyday- mostly as a bracelet but I have worn it as a necklace or clipped to my clothing. I love the sleek design. So many people notice and compliment it.
Like most fitness trackers, the Leaf monitors your steps, and sleeping patterns. You can use the app to track your water intake, meditation, and also monthly cycle. The app uses the information you input and creates a "stress readout" depending on what you have going on in which areas. I love that I can easily track these things and look back on past weeks to determine any patterns.
Unlike other fitness trackers, there is no screen on the Leaf. I know this bothers some people, but I am not using the Leaf as a Smart Watch. I like that I can check it on my phone and I'm not constantly updating things on my wrist all day. I check it once or twice a day and for the most part, I forget about it. It is not distracting to me in any way.
Like most fitness trackers, the Leaf monitors your steps, and sleeping patterns. You can use the app to track your water intake, meditation, and also monthly cycle. The app uses the information you input and creates a "stress readout" depending on what you have going on in which areas. I love that I can easily track these things and look back on past weeks to determine any patterns.
Unlike other fitness trackers, there is no screen on the Leaf. I know this bothers some people, but I am not using the Leaf as a Smart Watch. I like that I can check it on my phone and I'm not constantly updating things on my wrist all day. I check it once or twice a day and for the most part, I forget about it. It is not distracting to me in any way.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Eighteen Below (Fabian Risk, #3) in Books
May 22, 2019
ON A HOT SUMMER'S DAY.
A car speeds through the streets of Helsingborg. When it reaches the harbour, the driver keeps going, straight into the cold, dark sea.
A BODY IN THE WATER.
But it is not a suicide. The autopsy reveals that this man has been dead for some time. He was murdered two months ago, and his body has been deep frozen.
TURNS EVERTHING COLDER.
As more bodies are discovered, Fabian Risk must hunt a killer with a mission: to preserve his victims, and create the perfect death...
This is a very good action thriller that involves a puzzling story-line and creepy villains.
While it seems that there are 2 completely different, unlinked cases going on in this book, you get the impression that is not the case at all; but how they're linked is what keeps you guessing.
Very action-packed indeed and the more so the further you read. I greatly enjoyed it.
The writing and plot are superb.
If you love Jo Nesbo- this is for you.
Recommend reading!!
Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for this ARC.
A car speeds through the streets of Helsingborg. When it reaches the harbour, the driver keeps going, straight into the cold, dark sea.
A BODY IN THE WATER.
But it is not a suicide. The autopsy reveals that this man has been dead for some time. He was murdered two months ago, and his body has been deep frozen.
TURNS EVERTHING COLDER.
As more bodies are discovered, Fabian Risk must hunt a killer with a mission: to preserve his victims, and create the perfect death...
This is a very good action thriller that involves a puzzling story-line and creepy villains.
While it seems that there are 2 completely different, unlinked cases going on in this book, you get the impression that is not the case at all; but how they're linked is what keeps you guessing.
Very action-packed indeed and the more so the further you read. I greatly enjoyed it.
The writing and plot are superb.
If you love Jo Nesbo- this is for you.
Recommend reading!!
Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for this ARC.
Danielle Chaplin (81 KP) rated Guilty Pleasures in Books
Jun 1, 2019
Incredible
I cannot recommend this book enough! I read it when I was around 14 years old and it was one of the first books I've read where the characters and lives are so realistic (obviously the setting is slightly fantastical with supernatural creatures), it was so refreshing to see characters getting injured and that injury lasting more than a couple of pages, for there to be a need to eat and sleep which some stories don't seem to deem necessary, and for the character to struggle with issues more than just a bad guy. It was amazing that the main character wasn't some meek female that grew into someone strong in the space of a story but that she worked her butt off before the setting of the story and was just introduced as this hard as nails vampire executioner that loves penguins.
This was the perfect start to an amazing series that blew the Charlaine Harris books completely out of the water! A must read for any vampire/supernatural fan but do be warned that the later books do get more graphic and sexual so probably not suitable for younger readers.
This was the perfect start to an amazing series that blew the Charlaine Harris books completely out of the water! A must read for any vampire/supernatural fan but do be warned that the later books do get more graphic and sexual so probably not suitable for younger readers.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian in Books
Jan 17, 2018 (Updated Jan 17, 2018)
As bad as the original trilogy
I actually feel embarrassed that I’ve read this book. I read the original trilogy (skim reading by the time I got to the third one) and was vaguely interested in seeing if it being told from Christian’s perspective made for a better read. Short answer is no.
This has obviously been written for the money and I don’t doubt that it’s done very well. However Christian’s perspective is not a good one. In the original books he’s very aloof, cold and confident but in this he just comes across as a petulant clingy teenager. I’m sure it was intended to show his softer side, but it’s just made him out as weak and ridiculously irritating. His internal monologue too is atrocious, his constant use of “baby” made me want to cringe and it makes him sound so childish.
And the “erotic” parts.... they’re just repetitive, laughable and about as erotic as dirty dish water. This book (and the rest of the trilogy) are just a nonsense fairytale for people who don’t know any better. Avoid at all costs!
This has obviously been written for the money and I don’t doubt that it’s done very well. However Christian’s perspective is not a good one. In the original books he’s very aloof, cold and confident but in this he just comes across as a petulant clingy teenager. I’m sure it was intended to show his softer side, but it’s just made him out as weak and ridiculously irritating. His internal monologue too is atrocious, his constant use of “baby” made me want to cringe and it makes him sound so childish.
And the “erotic” parts.... they’re just repetitive, laughable and about as erotic as dirty dish water. This book (and the rest of the trilogy) are just a nonsense fairytale for people who don’t know any better. Avoid at all costs!
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Rocket League in Video Games
Mar 6, 2018
A High Scorer
This game shouldn't work, but it does. If I told you to go play a game where you play as a car as part of a team to try and win a game of football, I'd ask if you were insane. However, 3 years after it's initial release, Rocket League is still tons of fun to this very day.
Let me stress that I am not an online gamer at all and 99% of my gaming time is spent offline in single player story based games. Yet, I fell in love with Rocket League after downloading it on a whim from the PSN store. No two games are the same and the game puts you through every emotion imaginable, all with some dumb race cars and an oversized football.
2015 was a year of disappointments, with both MGS V and Fallout 4 failing to meet expectations. Rocket League, a sequel to an unremarkable downloadable PS3 game, came out of nowhere and blew everything else out of the water to become what was probably my favourite game of that year.
Let me stress that I am not an online gamer at all and 99% of my gaming time is spent offline in single player story based games. Yet, I fell in love with Rocket League after downloading it on a whim from the PSN store. No two games are the same and the game puts you through every emotion imaginable, all with some dumb race cars and an oversized football.
2015 was a year of disappointments, with both MGS V and Fallout 4 failing to meet expectations. Rocket League, a sequel to an unremarkable downloadable PS3 game, came out of nowhere and blew everything else out of the water to become what was probably my favourite game of that year.
Dana (24 KP) rated Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror in Books
Mar 23, 2018
"Versions of cities flattened under the equalizing night.
The summer demands and takes away too much,
But night, the reserved, reticent, gives more than it takes."
- As One Put Drunk into the Packet Boat
There are so many emotions in this collection: loneliness, grief, sadness, hope, longing, fear--they are all so strong but not overpowering.
I love whenever he talks about stillness and silence. Those moments are so peaceful and full of possibility. It almost makes you ache to be in one of those moments.
His thoughts on writing and what it takes to be a writer and writes are so perfectly beautiful.
There seems to be a theme of forgotten moments and trying to recapture those moments.
Any time he mentioned the night or any water, I just loved. Mainly because I love both of those things, but also because there was so much care in those details that they become so realistic.
My Favorite Poems from the Collection:
As One Put Drunk into the Packet Boat
A Man of Words
Grand Galop
River
The One Thing that Can Save America
Ode to Bill
The summer demands and takes away too much,
But night, the reserved, reticent, gives more than it takes."
- As One Put Drunk into the Packet Boat
There are so many emotions in this collection: loneliness, grief, sadness, hope, longing, fear--they are all so strong but not overpowering.
I love whenever he talks about stillness and silence. Those moments are so peaceful and full of possibility. It almost makes you ache to be in one of those moments.
His thoughts on writing and what it takes to be a writer and writes are so perfectly beautiful.
There seems to be a theme of forgotten moments and trying to recapture those moments.
Any time he mentioned the night or any water, I just loved. Mainly because I love both of those things, but also because there was so much care in those details that they become so realistic.
My Favorite Poems from the Collection:
As One Put Drunk into the Packet Boat
A Man of Words
Grand Galop
River
The One Thing that Can Save America
Ode to Bill
Mike Carlson (115 KP) rated The Amazing Spider-Man : 24/7 in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Daze in the life
This collection of loosely-strung vignettes varies in quality. It happens, especially when you have half a dozen issues with as many creators.
The first story, "Loose Ends", offers a promising future foe in Kraven's daughter. It's a follow-up to a story told elsewhere.
Next is "Marked". It features a "D-list" (according to Spider-Man) villain going by The Spot. He should be upgraded to more of a threat seeing as he doesn't set off the Spidey Sense anymore.
Following this is "Birthday Boy". Pretty much a character-centric filler with Wolverine. It's not bad - none of these really are - it just feels like treading water.
The 2 part "Face Front" features the Fantastic Four. The story about dabbling in an alternate dimension's affairs is cliche, and the focus on a mindwipe about Spidey's identity starts to grate after a while.
Finally, we have the 3 part "24/7". This is the most entertaining of the bunch. Peter goes on a superhero spree for days, simply to annoy the newly-elected mayor. It also introduces an acid-spitting version of the Vulture.
The first story, "Loose Ends", offers a promising future foe in Kraven's daughter. It's a follow-up to a story told elsewhere.
Next is "Marked". It features a "D-list" (according to Spider-Man) villain going by The Spot. He should be upgraded to more of a threat seeing as he doesn't set off the Spidey Sense anymore.
Following this is "Birthday Boy". Pretty much a character-centric filler with Wolverine. It's not bad - none of these really are - it just feels like treading water.
The 2 part "Face Front" features the Fantastic Four. The story about dabbling in an alternate dimension's affairs is cliche, and the focus on a mindwipe about Spidey's identity starts to grate after a while.
Finally, we have the 3 part "24/7". This is the most entertaining of the bunch. Peter goes on a superhero spree for days, simply to annoy the newly-elected mayor. It also introduces an acid-spitting version of the Vulture.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Isolation (Faye Longchamp, #9) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
***NOTE: I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
Faye Longchamp lives on a small island with her family. Going to the mainland for breakfast one morning, her husband and recently-released-from-jail father-in-law find a local woman dead in the water off her restaurants pier. Fearing that her father-in-law might make an easy scapegoat, Faye starts looking into the murder
This book started out slow, and I wasnt sure I was going to like it. In the beginning of the story, we learn that Faye has recently suffered a miscarriage, and shes having trouble coming to terms with the loss. Faye muddles around in a haze for several chapters, but as she starts to come back to herself, the book picks up pace as well. Once it gets going and you look back on the slow beginning, you can see that it is fitting considering Fayes state of mind. Im glad I didnt give up during the slow part, because it finished up as a quick-moving, cant-stop-until-I-know-who-did-it mystery.
Faye Longchamp lives on a small island with her family. Going to the mainland for breakfast one morning, her husband and recently-released-from-jail father-in-law find a local woman dead in the water off her restaurants pier. Fearing that her father-in-law might make an easy scapegoat, Faye starts looking into the murder
This book started out slow, and I wasnt sure I was going to like it. In the beginning of the story, we learn that Faye has recently suffered a miscarriage, and shes having trouble coming to terms with the loss. Faye muddles around in a haze for several chapters, but as she starts to come back to herself, the book picks up pace as well. Once it gets going and you look back on the slow beginning, you can see that it is fitting considering Fayes state of mind. Im glad I didnt give up during the slow part, because it finished up as a quick-moving, cant-stop-until-I-know-who-did-it mystery.
Karica Truebenbach (156 KP) rated Unbreakable (2000) in Movies
Sep 29, 2018 (Updated Oct 4, 2018)
Nope
Contains spoilers, click to show
So a guy in a wheelchair who breaks a bone if someone breathes on him too hard decides to go around setting epic disaster-sized booby traps and murdering people simply so he can find someone who consistently survives said traps unscathed because that person must be a superhero? Because he decided one day that he must be a supervillain? And the hero's costume is a yellow rain slicker because his kryptonite is water? Look, I'll watch Samuel L do darn near anything, but the entire premise of this movie stretched the bounds of reality. I know that Shyamalan loves twists and turns, but this one went straight off a cliff. Who got Glass to all these places? His elderly mother? What possessed him to go, "I must be evil because why else would I have the uber version of brittle bone disease?" Perhaps if this had been released as a graphic novel-type movie ( a la Sin City), I would have been more accepting of the plot, but it wasn't and I wasn't. Hopefully the third movie will be better...