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thereadinghobbit · 1 year

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Book Review | In the Garden: Essays on Nature and Growing

“A garden, no matter how good it is, must never completely satisfy.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In the Garden is a collection of essays on, well, gardening. I had already read another collection in the same series ‘At the Pond’ about nature swimming, which I really enjoyed, and was very much looking forward to this book as well. It did not disappoint. Not all essays were completely working for me, but that’s a…

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#book blog #book blogger #bookblr #booklr #books #essays #four star review #in the garden #non-fiction #reading

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olivias-shelf · 8 months

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I really enjoyed the small-town vibe of this story, where everyone knows everything about everyone else and can be a hard meddler but they will watch each other's back if an outsider comes and tries to disrupt the lives of one of their own. Meeting the side characters of the town, from other shop owners to Noah's sisters felt fun.

I found Noah and Amelia's story to be rather cute - I'm a big fan of grumpy and sunshine, so reading their banter back and forth as their relationship developed was a cozy read for me. I did feel like the pacing of their relationship was a bit odd however - most of the book takes place over the course of a weekend and they went from attempting to hold back and instating rules that they couldn't touch each other for fear of their attraction taking over to admitting that they loved each other.

My main critique of this book is that there are sections where the quality of the descriptions seems variable, to the point where the characters seem much younger than they actually were. Some of the phrases used made me think that they might have been teenagers had it not been already established how old the characters were. I did feel like I had to power through those sections, and had they continued on, I might not have completed the book.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for the ARC.

#bookblr #arcs #book reviews #book review #romance #four star review

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fabuloustrash05 · 8 months

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So the DBZ Abridged Buu Saga clips are out, here are my thoughts:

Android 18 knowing about Maron and her and Krillin messing with people about their daughter being named Marron is genius (cause I always found it weird that Krillin named his daughter after his ex girlfriend)

It's kind of insinuated that both Vegeta AND Bulma see the Capsule Corp interns as slaves, just shows they are perfect for each other, but also shows Dr Breifs' evil side peeking through his daughter

Trunks and Goten's voices were so damn cute!! Shout out to their VAs!

Everyone making fun of Gohan's durag XD

KAISER VOICING SHARPNER!! "He knows I love him. You know I love you" Me: AND I LOVE YOU!! A character I did not like in DBZ is now one of my favs in just a minute!

I loved the detail of Trunks referring to Goku as Kakarot (makes more sense since this Trunks grew up with and spends a lot of time with his father Vegeta)

The baby shark bit XD

"Gohan, you taught him how to dodge, that's great!" "TRUNKS PULL UP!!" LMFAO

Dabura's voice! HOLY SHIT!! it was hot

Buu's voice was also good, similar to the dub but way less irritating.

Goku, Shin and Gohan's discussion on shopping carts and tipping, as someone who worked in both fields, I FELT THAT! THERES A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL FOR THOSE PEOPLE

Goku's "oh no" and a little giggle when Shin asked if Vegeta has evil in his heart. Goku KNOWS what's gonna happen and he's gonna let it happen XD

Vegeta's "I know you're playing me..." line to Babidi being a parallel line to Perfect Cell

Lani once again NAILING THOSE SCREAMS as Vegeta!

Vegeta killing thousands of innocent people, Goku's okay with, but bringing potato salad to a BBQ, HES CROSSED A LINE!

"God I missed you..." that made me chuckle.

Vegeta going to BBQs and movie nights with Krillin, they are friends now and I love it (underrated dynamic in DBZ tbh), also Vegeta acknowledging that he's now referring to Krillin by his actual name instead of "the bald monk". I always felt that Vegeta referring to people by their names is his way of showing respect, so him calling Krillin by his name, he hates that he now respects Krillin.

"Too bad we couldn't finish our fight. I didn't get a chance to wip out my new form-" *Vegeta knocks Goku out* PFFP- HAHAHAHA if he only knew

"I'm going to hug you now" "Hug complete" *knocks Trunks out* "I'm a way better dad than Kakarot" ASDFGHJK LOLOL

Vegeta referring to Goten as KAKATOT lol <3

The "Vegeta no" "Vegeta yes" bit having a conclusion with an emotional impact tied to Vegeta's death.

Even as a joke, I still got emotional during the abridged version of Vegeta's sacrifice.

BEST BUDDY!! HE SAID IT! HE FINALLY SAID IT! WE ALL KNEW HE WOULD BUT GOD DAMN THAT FELT GOOD!!

#my reviews #random thoughts #dragon ball z abridged #dbza #dragon ball #dragon ball z #dbz #team four star #youtube #son goku #vegeta #trunks briefs #krillin #son gohan #bulma briefs #majin buu #majin vegeta #buu saga

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andreai04 · 27 days

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It was starting to sink in that for the rest of my life, the people I met, the people I became close to—there would always be a chance that they saw me as a payout.

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thresholdbb · 5 months

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Who in the hell are those random crewmen Janeway takes on vacation with her to the Pendari system during Tsunkatse???

#google: is identity theft a crime if you do it four hundred years in the future?#google: where to buy chronoton particles #google: things to do in the delta quadrant #google: pendari science museum reviews #google: pendari coffee shops #this is serious research I’m conducting over here #star trek voyager #captain janeway #I’m not even watching tsunkatse right now

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jacquelinemerritt · 11 months

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Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 59 Review

Originally posted September 13th, 2018

Awful parenting meets great storytelling.

Goku is an awful parent.

Up until now, that idea has been present in Dragonball Z: Abridged mostly as subtext, with it being most blatant in the way Gohan reacts whenever he has been forced to think about his relationship with his father, but here, in The Hard Cell, that subtext is made into explicit text, as Piccolo speaks out in righteous fury as Goku sends his son in to fight Cell, and then gives Cell a Senzu bean in order to give Gohan a fair fight.

I knew this was coming, as it’s one of the few moments in Dragonball that is so famous I couldn’t avoid having it spoiled, but even having it spoiled, the sheer shock of Goku’s recklessness and lack of care for his son was downright paralyzing when I first saw it, with the only relief being hearing Piccolo criticize Goku for his absolutely horrendous decision making and logic.

This is, without any doubt, an act of child abuse, and that reality is acknowledged here not only by Piccolo, who is even more furious with Goku in the abridged version than he was in the original (and he was downright pissed there), but also by the entire world around Goku, as Jimmy Firecracker publicly lambasts Goku for sending his son into a battle he himself was already losing, and Chi Chi madly picks up her TV and swings it around the room in a fit of blinding and justified rage.

That moment is pivotal, and thanks to Team Four Star’s stellar editing, voice-work, and writing, it feels exactly like the betrayal it is meant to be, with Goku’s decision to heal Cell using a Senzu bean coming off as particularly awful, since we hear Gohan’s thoughts just before as he realizes that he might have a chance against Cell. We even see that Goku’s plan is a complete failure, as Cell closes out the episode by wailing on Gohan, who lies caught by Cell’s attacks, being beaten to a pulp.

Without a doubt, Goku’s betrayal of Gohan here is the most important part of the episode, but the way it’s built to is equally compelling. This episode starts with Cell and Goku finally stepping up their game and beginning to actually fight each other, with Cell’s own obsession with Goku driving him to destroy his meticulously constructed arena, not realizing that Goku is far more interested in a casual fight than anything so grand and long-term as Cell dreamed.

It’s ironic, hilarious, and compelling to see their mutual attraction capped off like this, and it fits perfectly with Cell’s already obsessive behavior for him to want more than from this relationship than Goku, who has always been similarly non-committal, as we saw when he abandoned Freeza the moment he got bored.

There is a perfect balance maintained here that makes it absolutely satisfying to see Cell disappointed by Goku, while still feeling completely betrayed when Goku throws his son to the wolves, and yet even more compelling than that is the strange faith the Goku has in Gohan. As bad a parent as Goku is, he is about as far from being insincere about anything as you can get with a character, and for all the horror that throwing an 11-year old against a murderous monster is, you can’t deny that Goku genuinely believes in the capabilities of his son.

Goku’s actions here are objectively pretty horrendous, and the narrative does everything to reinforce that, but even with all of that going against him, the sheer faith Goku has in his son leaves us with a sense of hope that somehow, someway, Gohan is going to pull through against Cell.

A fool’s hope, to be sure, but a necessary bit of hope indeed.

Rating: 4.5/5

Stray Observations

As dark of a joke as it is, it feels entirely in character for Master Roshi to be in the sex-offender registry, and his reluctant acknowledgement of that throws a good bit of shade at Toriyama for unironically embracing Master Roshi’s perverted behavior, and by association, anime’s legitimately awful trend of normalizing pervy characters, especially old men.

Critical Eye Criticism is the work of Jacqueline Merritt, a trans woman, filmmaker, and critic. You can support her continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbz #dbza #dbza ep59 #here we are #the last review of DBZA i wrote for this blog #it would seem as if something is missing though #i wonder if i am going to finish this review series #and finally close out this project i've been doing on and off for seven years

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vampiremacncheese · 2 months

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This week I read “Faebound” by Saara El-Arifi. Let me just start by saying that the cover is absolutely gorgeous. This the the first book I have read by this author and it did not disappoint. A unique take on the fae-elven myths that has been overused way too many times in the romace-fantasy genre, this book manages to bring a lot to the table:

Drum Magic (AAAAAHHHH!!!)

Stunning World building

Diverse cast of characters

Queer representation

Enemies to lovers

need I say more?

Here is the thing. I don’t like enemies to lovers in my books. Usually, its either that they are not really enemies but just don’t like each other for no reason or their relationship somehow transends within one scene without any prior development. But here, it is handled really well. Yeeran’s charecter perhaps goes through the most change. Between choosing to fight in the Forever War that was rigged to begin with and her sister, her rolercoster of emotions bled through the pages. Her relationship with her sister, Lettle, is also a majot heighlight of the book. They stand for different side of solving the same conflict and often fight over the other’s choices. Watching them slowly try and mend their fractured relationship brings another layer of realism to the story.

That being said, there are some this that just turned me off. Some of the chapters felt very clogged. A lot of events would happen in one and in the next one, crickets. It did mess with the pacing for the latter half especially. A problem with some popular fantasy books is that for 80% of the book nothing major would happen and them suddenly at the end, major events would happen left and right and since there is so little time to process it all and moving onto the next plot twist, their impact is seldom felt (yes, I am looking at you SJM). Sadly, this book is no exception. I get the appeal revealing the plot twist at the very end to keep readers on their toes but if it suddenly comes out of nowhere and there is no time to process the events that are unfolding, that is just a bad plot twist.

Speaking of plot twist, it was (kinda) predictable after the halfway point and by the end it felt like characters were making random conjectures to reach their conclusion. And they were right every time.

Okay. Okay. I may have gone overboard on the bad side a little too much. But I like the set up to the trilogy that the first book brings and I am excited to read its sequels and other books by this author. I think I’ll pick up “The Final Strife” in a few day.

Thank you for reading. I hope if you do read the book, you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Hasta luego, folks!

#faebound #book review #book recommendations #four stars #books #fantasy #high fantasy #new release #bookish #books and reading #bookworm #magical creatures

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rraaaarrl · 4 months

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2023: a Retrospective ✌️

#art meme #art #2023 in review #my art #farts and crafts #doctor doom #fantastic four #godzilla #mothra #star trek #namor

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thereadinghobbit · 1 year

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Book Review | The Shield Road by Dewi Hargreaves

New #bookreview of The Shield Road by @Dewiwrites "A dream played on his mind. A dream full of fire and screams, which echoed long after waking." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“A dream played on his mind. A dream full of fire and screams, which echoed long after waking.“ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Shield Road is a collection of chronological fantasy short stories set in the same world, that follow different characters and accumulate into a larger narrative. A. thief, a princess, a warrior, a Bladekin, and others roam through this fantasy world trying to stop evil and survive the…

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#book blog #book blogger #bookblr #booklr #books #dewi hargreaves #fantasy #four star review #reading #the shield road

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olivias-shelf · 2 years

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Chef Nina Lyon wants to inspire young women to become chefs. As co-host of The Next Cooking Champ!, she hopes to really make a name for herself in the culinary world. Unfortunately, her co-host, restauranteur Leo O'Donnell, tends to get under her skin when they're filming. When he takes a barb a bit too far, Nina quits on camera. Thrown in a paparazzi photo of what looks to be in a compromising position with Leo, and the fans are absolutely hooked. Leo and Nina now have to pretend to be dating in order to save their careers.

I love the fake dating, enemies to lovers, and mutual pining tropes. I especially enjoyed the use of Halloween and autumn as the backdrop of many of Nina and Leo's dates, and how it ties nicely int the epilogue.

I really enjoyed Jasmine and Gavin's relationships with Nina and Leo - the way that each pair supported each other through their challenges and the next steps of their careers was really nice to read. I enjoyed the way that Nina and Leo's careers evolved throughout the course of the story (although I do wish we got to hear about what Leo ended up doing in the epilogue!). Sometimes your dreams don't work out. Sometimes you get a second chance in a different way. Sometimes what you think is your next best step turns out to not be working for you in the present, and that's okay.

I thought that the portrayal of Leo's anxiety was really well done - his panic attacks, the discussion of treatment and therapy, and the way that he and his family work to address the stressors that were fueling the anxiety attacks.

I appreciated that while Leo apologizes for the way that he had treated Nina in the past (and works to improve his behavior), she does not forgive him for those past insults. It's refreshing to see that you don't have to forgive someone for the damage that they've done.

Unfortunately, something that really took me out of the story was Leo's dad and Vinny's backstory. The "I'm Irish but Italian at heart" story got weird when his dad ended up giving his own kids Italian names and shortended his own to make Vinny's seem more Italian. It honestly reminded me of Rachel Dolezal. A shame, since this was only briefly mentioned but was really off putting as a person of color.

Overall, a lighthearted, cute romance that I enjoyed reading.

A thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, HQN, and NetGalley for the ARC.

#book review #four star review #arcs #bookblr #romance

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andreai04 · 22 days

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I had to pay the price. I had taken, and now I must give. Nature demanded balance.

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goatsandgangsters · 8 months

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the good news is that I finished a book and it got me out of my reading slump where I would start things, not finish, switch to something else, not finish

the bad news is that "yes daddy" by jonathan parks-ramage is one of the worst written books I've read in a whiiiile. bland expositiony prose, flat characters, a bunch of weird plot detours. Written like a 200-page Wikipedia summary instead of an actual book

the worst news is that it has such intensely favorable gushing reviews on goodreads, and the people who hated it mostly hated it for a different reason, and so I'm left alone like oKAY BUT THE PROSE WAS SHIT, HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THIS

#the writing is LAUGHABLY BAD you guys. how did people like this booooook #but most of the bad reviews are like 'I hated this book because it had too many rape scenes and lots of bad things happen'#BUT MY PROBLEM IS it's so badly written that it's like reading the wikipedia of a horror movie where it flatly tells you the grisly bits #very 'and then four grown men lived in a garden shed as waiters/sex slaves. one of them tripped and hit his head. he's dead now.'#just no emotional impact whatsoever bc this guy cannot write and the characters are all made of cardboard #it bills itself as a gothic/thriller but it has NO grasp of any of the conventions of that genre #there's a weird interlude where the protag becomes evangelical?? and starts going on about The Evils of Gay Sex??#he gets inspiration to commit arson by READING GOOP? AND THIS IS PLAYED AS SERIOUS AFTER HIS FRIEND'S SUICIDE??#how did ANYONE take this book seriously let alone enjoy it #it's SO awful. this guy CANNOT write his way out of a paperbag #it's even worse too bc the main character is supposed to be a professional writer with an MFA and the book is the character's memoir #which I consider tantamount to a plot hole BECAUSE THE WRITING IS SO SO BAD #the sketchy rich old guy and his butler/ex call him Rebecca and he doesn't get the reference?? he has an MFA in playwriting and yet!#it's been a while since I got to write a REALLY scathing 1-star goodreads review so that's cathartic at least

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abybweisse · 2 years

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Ch192 (p4), Finny needs acting lessons

For one thing, they should have had him use another name, like how Baldo pretended to be someone else. However, I can imagine Finny refusing to use another name... or forgetting to use another name assigned to him. Of course, no one is expecting to run into the circus members (who might recall our earl calling himself Finny when he joined).

Who is the kid from the advanced class who was fostered out? Because that looks suspiciously like real Ciel. Was he staying at that orphanage for a while? Doesn't make sense; real Ciel has been with Undertaker almost constantly, even eavesdropping on our earl's activities.

But the "test" for "aptitude" sounds like it really might end up just being blood-typing. And it's funny that Snake can't help but attribute his words to snakes in whispers.

But here, as I said before the translation came out, it looks like Doll might be back. She would be in "Freckles" appearance... but she'd pretty much have to be a bizarre doll.

Would she be a lord of the stars, or would she be more like Agares? Doll might end up being the missing lord, as many (including myself) have theorized.

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #ch192 #chapter release #chapter review #finny #finnian #snake #snake's snakes #norfolk #orphanage #doll #bizarre dolls #advanced bizarre dolls #lords of the stars #sep 16 2022 #part four #part 4

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mybookdiaries · 2 months

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The thousandth floor - Katherine McGee

Book review!

Stars: ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯/5

Who do I recommend this for: readers who enjoy Gossip Girl

Will I reread: probably not

Release date - 2016/08/22

Author - Katharine McGee

Page count- 448 (kindle)

Prologue/epilogue - Prologue (+ deleted scenes)

What to expect:

🪩 Lots of drama

🪩 Many plot twists

🪩 Five main characters

🪩 Big party

🪩 Murder or maybe suicide??

🪩 Many secrets

🪩 A futuristic world setting

🪩Lots of technologies!

Before reading you might want to check tws!

Synopsis:

NEW YORK CITY AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible-if you want it enough.

WELCOME TO MANHATTAN, 2118. A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there wants something...and everyone has something to lose.

LEDA COLE's flawless exterior belies a secret addiction-to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched. ERIS DODD-RADSON's beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart. RYLIN MYERS's job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world-and a romance-she never imagined...but will this new life cost Rylin her old one? WATT BAKRADI is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he's hired to spy for an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies. And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is AVERY FULLER, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all-yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have. Amid breathtaking advancement and high-tech luxury, five teenagers struggle to find their place at the top of the world. But when you're this high up, there's nowhere to go but down.... (Goodreads)

Review:

this book kept me entertained with all the drama, plot twists, and interesting characters. Loved the prologue, and how it intrigued me. The characters were crazy:

Avery fuller - the most perfect girl to ever exist… obsessed (in a crazy way) with her adopted brother LIKE WHAT? WHY?

Leda Cole - I DESPISED EVERY SECOND OF READING CHAPTERS FROM HER POINT-OF-VIEW. SHE IS JUST SO ANNOYING AND FULL OF NEGATIVE ENERGY.

Eris Dodd-randson - a girl with lots of family drama. Throughout the book I was so sorry for her and all she had to endure.

Rylin Myers - loved her story so much!! Probably the only character I resonated with.

Watt Bakradi - his chapters I enjoyed SO much! The inner dialogues with Nadia were *chef’s kiss*

Songs:

Rich Kids - Frank Ocean

Flashing lights - Kanye West

Lyrics:

“Super rich kids with nothing but loose ends

Super rich kids with nothing but fake friends”

-Rich Kids - Frank Ocean

Quotes:

“I just like making everyone wait so they’ll be that much more excited to see me,”

“May my actions be purposeful. I am my own greatest ally. I am enough in myself.”

#book review #dystopia #fantasy #romance #drama #books #reading #four stars #bookworm #gossip girl #the thousandth floor #book recommendations #book diary

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mafaldaknows · 2 years

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Wow. Maybe I do want to see this after all.

#bones and all #timothée chalamet #taylor russell #luca guadagnino #letterboxd #review #four and a half stars

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godspouse · 8 months

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sometimes my 5 star review on letterboxd means i think its a perfect film other times it just means the vibes were right for me. i contain multitudes.

#my four star review of teeth is personal actually that literally happebed to me #cherry.txt

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