Lego Haunted High School 70425

 Don't be put off by the pack art, this is a really incredible build.  Unfortunately, the pack art on the Hidden Side series really does not draw you in and make you want to build it.  They all look identical with a heavy reliance on the ghost hunting aspect of the A.R. App.  This definitely does the sets a real disservice as you can't really see what you would be getting for your money and trust me, this kits are great value.  You don't need the app to get a lot of playability from them and if you are building for display these really have something special.

Some fun building techniques in this particular large build.  The mechanism for the claws is fun to construct and works well.  Even better the eyes work via the clock in the centre of the wall.  Definitely some nice little touches there.  Once you turn the set aorund you have a full playset style school to play around in.  Chock full of little details but the best has to be the swinging blackboard with the ghostly teddy bear.  With a host of mini figures included there is plenty to sink your teeth into.

I could be on my own here but I prefer the non-spooky option.  For once I didn't make any of my characters in to the possessed version as the school building just looks better to me without the monster on display.

Number Of Pieces: 1474

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.07

Build Time: 4.25 Hours

 

Tonic by Staci Hart

 1.5 Stars

I am still amazed that I actually managed to finish this book.  It consistently felt like I was reading a book meant for tweenagers that had been "spiced up" (if you get my meaning) for an adult audience.  The only thing that felt real was the way the manipulation of participants in a Reality TV Show was described from a behind the scenes point of view.

After only a couple of chapters I was heartily sick of the uber-butch Joel and the icy Annika.  I only remember their names because of the blurb telling me.  The characters are so one dimensional it isn't funny and their reactions and behaviours are certainly not those of a fully functional human being.  There isn't even any humour to distract you from the awful flatness of the characters.  There is a reliance on physicality between the two to try and keep the reader interested but it is badly written so even that doesn't really work.

On the whole avoid, avoid, avoid.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 28th June and 4th July 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

The Dark Man by Desmond Doane

 The best bits of this book are the exchanges between Ford and Mike, genuinely snort worthy at times.  The dialogue is so well crafted and so true to life that I feel a little bit guilty only giving this book 3 Stars.  Not only is the dialogue spot on but the relationship between the two men feels real and their interactions have such a spark of reality to them that you know the author has a really good grasp of how people function.

Unfortunately for me the paranormal bits left me feeling a little bit disinterested.  Whilst the premise of a disgraced Ghost Hunter due to a demon attack was interesting it didn't really stack up.  Ford keeps telling us he is the "real deal" and yet he never seems to visit anywhere that it is just knocking pipes, there is always a genuine paranormal event and that got a bit hinky for me.  Although, there is a little debunking going on in the main case that he calls Mike in to help him with.  It definitely has a ring of the type of "reality" show this book is based off the same things that irritate me about those irritated me about this book - so the author definitely got that right.

We are told from the beginning about Chelsea's case being the reason Ford and Mike no longer speak, the reason the show got cancelled, the reason for EVERYTHING.  It does take a long time before we get even a little bit of further information about this case and the author then drip feeds the case through the rest of the book.  This is a pretty good device as even if you are getting fed up with the current case you keep reading because you knwo we will soon be told more about what happened to Chelsea.

Fairly solid book with fantastic characterisation but a plot that just didn't grab me.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 25th and 28th June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Lego Zane's Mino Creature 71719

 The centrepiece of this set is definitely the mech creature.  The build was interesting and surprisingly didn't feel repetitive despite the obvious need to make two of the front and rear legs.  Normally after making one I find the second one a bit boring but that wasn't the case in this build as the techniques used are interesting and very effective.  The way the head is tensioned to the body is very simple but strangely impressive and really helps the look of the finished creature.

The set goes in with the board game feature and there are a separate set of instructions that show how to play.  However, as the bulk of this build is the creature with just a couple of separate scenery bits that seem to make up the game I can't help but feel that is a bit of an add on designed to market the kit as an add on.  Despite that it was well worth the time spent building and the money spent on the set.  The mech creature is incredible and he looks great on my display next to the Destiny's Bounty.

Plenty of mini figures included too which made me happy - even though I am not a mini figure collector I still enjoy it when I get a good range of them to play with.

Number Of Pieces: 616

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.07

Build Time: 1.75 Hours

 

No More Bad Dates by Kate O'Keeffe

 2.5 Stars

Oh dear, I really don't know where to start with the plot for this one.  The whole thing makes me feel exceptionally uncomfortable - next time read the blurb before purchasing!  Even worse from about the second or third chapter in you know exactly where this is going to go and the author does not disappoint, she goes down the obvious route.  I would have enjoyed this more if there had been a twist in the tale, but, NO, she takes the path most travelled.

The only saving grace for this book is the humour with which it is told.  Whilst I didn't laugh out loud, it did raise the odd wry grin and some of the dating situations were amusing if a little out there.  We all have bad dating stories but I am sure few of us have ones as extreme as our heroine - sorry, I can't remember anyone's name in this book.

The family dynamics are also worrying.  It definitely left me glad that I don't have siblings if this is how those relationships really are.  Fortunately, this is fiction so again we only see the down sides with the odd bit of familial closeness.

On the whole there are much better books in this genre that won't leave you feeling quite so uncomfortable after reading them.  It just left me feeling vaguely disgusted - a moue of distaste if you will.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 23rd and 25th June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Secrets Of The Greek Revival by Eva Pohler

 3.5 Stars

The historical bit of the book I really enjoyed.  Had a feel of the first season of American Horrosr Story for me but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  What let things down for me was the three main characters - Ellen, Sue and Tanya - at various times they behave in ways that I find abhorrent.  They each complain of feeling invisible in some way and then each of them proceeds to treat other people in the way they feel treated; this isparticularly annoying with their close personal relationships.

Put that aside and this is a pretty good cosy mystery with a touch of the gothic.  The slow unravelling of the history of the house and it's prior occupants does keep you interested and makes you want to keep reading.  Some of the set pieces with the neighbours and the spookier happenings in the house can verge on the trite but it is still an enjoyable read.  Nothing really new but it does entertain.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 21st and 23rd June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Lego Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 10269

 Whilst I enjoyed this build I can't help but feel like there is something missing on it, can't put my finger on what but there is just something a bit off about it.  It could be the flat grey of the exhaust system, usually these sections are chromed and the wheels are decidedly odd looking - again no chrome.  Even if a chrome-esque finish isn't possible for cost reasons then at least make them from the silver rather than a flat blah grey.

Other than that the build was fun - despite me rolling my eyes at the chain build.  43 segments isn't too bad but I still have nightmares from the other chained pieces I've built (Roller Coaster and Haunted House) and connecting this was as much of a pain - I have fat fingers (no nice way to put it) so trying to connect it in a restricted space is a challenge to say the least.

Everything fits together snuggly and it felt really sturdy when I was carrying it upstairs to put it in it's display spot.  I like the fact that the base slots in to the model rather than connecting to it, makes for a much securer way to display as even if I knock the shelf when arranging displays on another shelf it wobbles a little but I know it isn't going to break apart.

Some nice build techniques that whilst I have used them before they are used to good effect here to create a unique display piece.  Generally very happy with this completed model.

Number Of Pieces: 1023

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.08

Build Time: 3 Hours

 

Will You? by S. J. Crabb

 2.5 Stars

This has turned out to be a completely unmemorable read.  Even with the help of my trusty notebook, the publisher's blurb and reading some other reviews I still can't really remember the plot or the people.  Looks like my rating was pretty accurate based on that.

All I can really remember is the main protagonist's landlord gets taken in by a gold digging piece of work who wants our heroine evicted from the shop as well as to take all his money.  Somehow this plot gets foiled and she "gets hers".  Oh and the love interest from school opens a rival shop that just happens to sell chocolate and he asks our heroine to be his pretend girlfriend so he can claim an inheritance.  I remembered more than I thought!

Certainly was a quick read and sort of light hearted fun but I cannot help but think that a lot of it was speed reading to get it over and done with.  I have read and enjoyed this author before and everyone is allowed a blip - hopefully this book is Ms Crabb's blip.  It just stepped too far in to the realms of implausibility for my taste - even in a chic lit novel.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 20th and 21st June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright

 You can certainly tell where the author hails from as you can feel the battle with dialect on the page.  Leads to some fun sentence structures that whilst grammatically incorrect are actually dialetically (is that a word? it is now) correct.  At times I felt like it was one of my co-workers talking to me just purely because of the vaguely odd sentence structure that kept rearing it's head - got to love the Midlands peeps.

Anyhow, on to the story.  Think The Mist crossed with The Day after Tomorrow.  Only thing is the beings lurking in the snow are not dinosaurs but something rather more aetheric.  Also being set in the UK rather than the US the main setting is a spit and sawdust pub.  Like any "good" British pub it has a set of characters that are a tad peculiar but they are what keep the place in business so are tolerated and everyone would notice if they did not appear at their scheduled time.

I did enjoy how multi-faceted a lot fo the characters were, once we got in to their back stories a little it certainly improved things.  The whole thing is just a little loose though, needs tightening up in places as any built tension dissipates too much in places and you find yourself wanting to just put the book down and give up on it.  Worth persevering with though and overall it was a jolly enough romp.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 18th and 20th June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Lego Bugatti Chiron 42083

 

First things first, we need to talk about the packaging.  I was completely blown away when I opened this box up as it is all sectioned up in to individual boxes which are then printed to make up a view of the actual vehicle this set is based on.  Even better, you can change the boxes up to make up a rear view.  The inside of the box lid is also printed with concept drawings of various Bugatti vehicles.  Simply gorgeous packaging that I will be keeping intact and not folding down for flat storage.

As anticipated the build itself is complex and you really need to concentrate.  So much so I spent 4 Days constructing this vehicle and really immersing myself in the whole build experience.  The upshot of this was that I had no functionality issues when it was built and the drive train seems to work well with the gearing.  There are some tricky sections where you have to work from underneath - so much so my husband asked if I wanted him to build me an inspection pit.

I cannot say enough good about this set.  I was so disappointed to finally finish the build and I would happily start it all over again right now with the hugest grin on my face.  Definitely one for the Lego Addict though as it is not going to be quick to construct no matter how experienced you are and it WILL challenge you.  I was so impressed with how it all went together I actually took progress pictures of how each box broke down in to construction.

Box 1 - 3 Hours Total

Box 2 - 4 Hours Total

Box 3 - 3 Hours Total

Box 4 - 2.25 Hours Total

Box 5 - 2 Hours Total

Box 6 - 0.75 Hours Total

Number Of Pieces: 3599

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.09

Build Time: 15 Hours

 

My Sweet Revenge by Jane Fallon

 Honestly, I am relying on my notebook for this review as I don't really remember too much about this book.  What I can say is at a time when I was struggling to concentrate on reading I did get through it in only 2 days and clearly enjoyed it as it has been given 2 Stars.

There is definitely a thread in Jane Fallon's novels - cheating spouse and getting revenge on said spouse.  To be honest that theme is getting a bit tired now and I was a little dubious starting the book as it seemed to be so much of the same old, same old from this author.  However, I enjoyed the read as it did bring some nice twists and turns to the theme.  Particularly getting to see the same experience from both the wife and the mistresses's viewpoints and how badly both of them misread each situation.  Like anything in life, neither of them really have all the information but they both make judgements feeling they are right when they are so very, very wrong.

Some good sarcastic humour in the book which is probably why I read it so quickly and why I rated it so highly.  There is also a really good understanding of what makes people tick and this leads to deep and fully dleshed out characterisations.  Not a book to be taken too seriously but certainly a wonderful accompaniment to coffee and cake.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 17th and 18th June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson

 The best thing I can say about this book is that it is a quick read.  Even with my poor levels of concentration I managed to plough through in a couple of days.  Admittedly, this is probably because I just wanted to get it finished and likely didn't really read the last 50% of the book but just skimmed through it in an attempt to get i over and done with.

The book does start out very promisingly with the whole shtick that the local Library is closing - not for good please note but for renovations - and the local art teacher, Dodie, is really upset by this so decides to put her house to good use and set up her own Lending Library.  The main focus of the first bits of the book focus solely on this and it does give a great foil for introducing characters and explaining the life of this small town.  I will readily admit I enjoyed these opening chapters and was with it all the way as a bit of lighthearted froth.  The appearence of the "Love Interest" made me squirm a bit as I could already tell that the Author's writing style would make the relationship very overblown but I went with it.

Sadly, it just falls off the end of the cliff with a sudden plethora of plot lines being thrown in to the mix.  It gives off the impression that there were two books the author had got to draft stage and the publishers would only take one off her hands so she made the bizarre decision to merge them in to one.  I got Jodi Picoult vibes off the second book that got merged in, sadly the emotional intelligence just isn't there so it just feels unnecessarily voyeuristic and unpleasant.

None of this is helped by the character development of Dodie.  She goes from seemingly relatively normal to this absolute paragon of achievement.  No matter what she wants she will get it and it will all come so relatively easily, even if she has to trample everyone else to get her way.

Started off fairly well but soon detriorated in to a bit of a mess.  In all honesty reads more like a book aimed at teenagers than adults with it's unrealistic depictions of life and emotions.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 16th and 17th June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

 3.5 stars

I struggled to really connect with this second of the Harry Dresden novels.  Whether this was because I was struggling with my concentration in general or because of the storytelling I cannot be sure.  It just didn't grip me the way the first novel did.

There is still the same snark present and an overall character development for everyone, but especially Harry, that should have made this a truly enjoyable read.  I suspect that it was actually the mythology behind the different ways that one could become a werewolf and the struggles to figure out what type it was that was committing these murders.  It just all felt a little bit off somehow, kind of hinky and cobbled together without too much thought.  It is an Urban Fantasy Novel so you don't expect versimilitude but you do expect the author to have thoroughly thought through the more fantastical aspects of the tale and it just doesn't feel that way - to this reader at least.

Plenty of guts and gore, if thats your thing - personally, I'm not bothered by it in the slightest but it is starting to feel a little overdone and (dare I say it) boring.  Certainly the best bits for me are poor old Harry's attempts to get along in a society that he is not really a part of - this goes for the Magical Community from which he has all but been ex-communicated and also Human Society because he isn't fully Human as far as they are concerned.  I love his clumsy social maladroitness.

Definitely not giving up on this series just yet as there is something that does speak to me about it all.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 10th and 16th June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Heretic Queen: Elizabeth I and the Wars Of Religion by Susan Ronald

 3.5 Stars

I did enjoy this look in to my preferred Historical Period and the dissection of how interwoven Religion and Politics were.  It could be argues, and in some ways is in this book, that the greatest Political Power during this period was not England, France or Spain but actually The Vatican.  Certainly I had not realised just how much the Catholic Countries bent the knee to the whims of The Pope and followed his orders.  Whilst I knew that Catholicism has a stranglehold I did not realise just how pervasive it was.  Silly me!

It does seem to run in a loop at times though and we do go over some events several times from the same perspective in different parts of the book.  That made it a little bit of a tough read at times because it felt a little bit like Groundhog Day and I did nearly put it down a couple of times but I persevered with it.  Overall I am glad I did as it did give me some insights in to the period that I had not previously thought about and did go some way to explain some of the decisions that Elizabeth made, albeit at the behest and manipulation of her advisors.

Not a light read by any means and although the style of writing is accessible I would definitely think you need an interest in the period as a whole and not just in perhaps England's most charismatic Monarch.  Whilst it does spend a lot of time centering on Elizabeth there is also a lot of information about Holland and Spain and also the Religious persecutions in this period both domestically and abroad.  It certainly casts Elizabeth in a bit of a rosy light that I am not sure is entirely warranted but as there is only so much documentation available to base our "take" on this woman from this is only to be expected.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 25th May to 10th June so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Talking With Serial Killers by Christopher Berry-Dee

 Despite the title of the book and the publisher's blurb this felt like it was all information I could have gleaned for myself with just a bit of online searching and a dose of patience.  I'm not too sure about the veracity of the author's claims that he was in personal contact with each and every one of these people as there doesn't appear to be anything in the book that feels like it is new information.  

Now, that's not to say I didn't enjoy the read because I did - very much.  The book tends to cover the backstory of the Killers that are included and that is the information I am interested in.  I am less interested in the when and how than in the why.  The nearest we can get to answers on the Why question is by looking at the upbringing of the person and how their behaviour was growing up.  Because that is what interests me, I enjoyed this book.  It also helps that it covered cases I was completely unaware of so this likelyy made it much more interesting for me.

The full list of the killers covered is:

Michael Bruce Ross
Ronald Joseph "Butch" Defeo
Aileen Carol Wuornos
Kenneth Allen McDuff
Douglas Daniel Clark and Carol May Bundy
Henry Lee Lucas

Of these I had only heard of Defeo and Wuornos at the time of reading.  As these things go I then saw documentaries online about a couple of the other people/cases and if we're being honest they probably gave me more information that this supposed expose.  Yes, I am sticking with my initial 4 Star review on this because I really did enjoy this read and it did give me information I did not have at the time of reading.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 22nd and 25th May 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott

 Oh dear, this book was a really hard slog.  It started off well enough with a brief history of how during Elizabeth 1st reign the Island of Rotherweird was selected to house these specially gifted children away from her sight as she had decreed they should be killed.  "Modern Day" Rotherweird is still existing and operating in the same way it did when it was set up but with some anachronistic technology.  Vaguely Steampunk but without a definite structure to how the society operates and what technology they have developed independantly from the rest of the world.  To be honest I think this is where the book lost me initially, a real lack of world building.

I am still really annoyed with this book.  The blurb sounded so good and so the sort of thing I love that how dire it actually read still makes me mad.  Even after finishing it I have no clear idea of the actual world this is set in, everything is just glazed over and nothing is described properly.  There is an attempt with the Town Record Keeper to give some cultural insight but that is about it.

Another thing that really bothered me was the almost cartoon villain that is introduced early on.  I won't go in to much detail as then we step in to spoiler territory.  Honestly he felt like the Hooded Claw from the old Penelope Pitstop cartoons from the 1970s.  The magic that is introduced seems to change how it operates depending on what the author has suddenly decided he needs it to do.  Generally an infuriating read.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 1st and 13th May 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

I originally had this as a 2 Star in my notebook.  However, when thinking about it to write this belated review I got so angry about what a missed opportunity this book was that I revised it down to just one star.  So extremely pleased that I only purchased book one instead of buying the full set.

Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule

 Being based in the UK I had never before heard of this case and it just shows how much difference the internet has made to our knowledge of what is happening in the rest of the world.  In 1983 British eyes were focused on Dennis Nilsen and Diane Downs just passed us by.

The bare bones of this case are terrifying and almost beyond comprehension.  A single mother and her three children driving down a dark country road and somehow the three children are shot.  One dies more or less at the scene and the other two are in a critical condition but their mother only has minor injuries.  Diane Downs maintains it is an unknown assailant but something about her story really doesn't add up.  This book dives deep in to the investigation of the case and how little there is to go on.

Meticulously researched i think the transcripts of Diane Downs statements and from the Court Testimony are perhaps the most telling.  There is just something chilling about the whole thing and the physical and psychological impact on the surviving children is undoubtable and well described without descending in to sensationalism.

I particularly liked that whilst Ms Rule does give her opinions on what happened that night and why she never at any point tells the reader this is definitive.  Instead she assumes that you have the intelligence to read the evidence she provides and make your own mind up about the who, how and most importantly the why.  There is a lot of focus on the psychology of Diane Downs and I am still at a loss to understand how, even with all her undoubted mental health issues, she thought that any of this would actually work out for her.  Yes, I believe she did it and agree with the Court's findings.

This book did make me feel uncomfortable as it genuinely takes you in to the minutiae of Diane Downs life both before and after this tragedy and she was dealt a bad hand from the start.  You want to be compassionate for her but then her actions make you want to condemn her out of hand.  Definitely thought provoking and unsettling.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 25th April and 1st May 2020.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

A Patchwork Family by Cathy Bramley

 To be honest I was left underwhelmed with this story and I was really disappointed overall in the story progression, particularly as I usually love me a Cathy Bramley read.  It just somehow felt like I knew the plot already and just different character names had been slapped on.  Even worse I found our main protagonist, Gina, to be really, really annoying.  There was an attempt to make her feel realistic but she was just too"good" for my taste, not enough light and shade to the character and she bacme increasingly more and more cloying.

I cannot remember the names of any of the characters - which is never a good sign.  All I do remember is that The Evergreens houses two elderly ladies and an elderly man and when the owner (one of the ladies) passes away it becomes apparent that her family just aren't interested in the house and the other two are going to be put out on the street, as is Gina as her cottage belongs to them now too.  The most interesting thing for me was the fact that the two old ladies were in a romantic relationship and had been for many years and were now planning to marry.  Bit of a sop to modern life in some ways and I am sure this would have shocked some of Ms Bramley's readerhsip and seen as scandalous.  Personally I loved the hint of stepping away from a "traditional" male/female romantic relationship.

That is all I loved about the book though.  The rest of it is either verging on ridiculous (the attempts to block the house sale) or just so much blah, read it before.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 5th and 8th May 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

The Road To Jonestown: Jim Jones And The Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn

 Although I knew quite a bit about Jonestown from just being alive when this all happened to having watched a couple of documentaries on it this book taught me so much more.  I was not aware of their previous "compund" in Ukiah or even the origins of Jim Jones.  Everything seems to focus on the tragic events in Guyana and whilst they are probably the most dramatic portions of the story the whole tale is almost fantastical in its sheer complexity and the slow build to the final denouement.

It was incredibly interesting to read about Jim Jones early life, his obsession with death and religion started very early and I am sure this was the only way he could really escape his home life.  He definitely had a neglectful upbringing  which I am sure contributed to his final breakdown and I am pretty sure he suffered a complete mental break caused by his ever increasing drug dependencies.  Even more interesting where his efforts to help minorities and the downtrodden.  You can definitely see why people latched on to him in the early days, he genuinely didn;t see colour and hated that others did and treated people differently as a result.  Certainly he understood what it was like to be seen as "less than" just because he existed and he put this to good use in the early days.  If only he had followed a different path and not allowed power to corrrupt him he could have a great proponent of change, instead he became a proponent for something worse than what society was doing to people.

Mr Guinn has certainly carried out meticulous research and nothing here is sensationalised, it is what it is and is told in such a matter of fact way that it makes the events ever more terrifying.  You do wonder why these people stayed with him, especially after things begin to unravel in Ukiah.  Then you realise they trust this man, they believe this man, he has "saved" them from the abuse and poverty they were suffering from and if things are going off the rails a little bit it still isn't as bad as it was before.

It certainly dispelled some of my misconceptions about how it all happened and educated me on things I had no idea about.  Especially the politics of the 1960s and the corruption that felt eerily like today.  This is an extremely interesting read and definitely more of a Social History than a salacious pick the highlights type of book.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 19th and 25th April 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about parts of the book, but only a little bit as it has really stuck with me.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau

 3.5 Stars

I really enjoyed all the family scenes in this book.  Seen from Peggy's point of view the boredom of their lavish existence and the restrictions imposed on female members compared with the debauchery of the male members makes a wonderful contrast.  Unfortunately, this was an all too true depiction of the early 1900s and combined with a real life setting (that I did actually research online) it made for a good read from a sanitised Social History standpoint.

Unfortunately, I found the murder background less intriguing.  The potential that ther eis a serial killer stalking the fairgorund and boardwalks of Coney Island just does not have the necessary suspense and intrigue to relaly suck you in.  Initially it seems like it is going to go but as soon as you realise that the whole focus of this is to paint all of the police force as corrupt and uninterested it takes some of the interest away.  The agenda of the book is very apparent in these sections and whilst it is undoubtedly true of some past and present members it felt like everyone was tarred by the same brush.  Ironic really as that is what the author accuses the fictional characters of doing.  Be it the poorer members of society seeing all people in positions of authority as a danger to their existence or members of the upper echelons seeing all the working class as being less than human.  Whilst true to some extent it does beat the reader over the head with it and it becomes tiresome after a while.

Overall it did give a glimpse in to the life of a girl becoming a woman in society's eyes and how constrained this makes her feel.  In fact, how constrained she actually is.  The descriptions of the desultory summer heat coupled with Peggy's desire to break free from her mould are handled really well and did draw me in and keep me in.

Overall, an author that I will be watching and trying some further novels from.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 12th and 19th April 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch

 As a huge fan of the Rivers Of London novels I was really looking forward to this novella.  So much so I actually purchased it in hardcover instead of on my eReader.  I have to REALLY like a series or author to buy a physical book as my bookshelves are groaning so I tend to prefer the digital format.  This one made the cut though and I am really happy with that decision.

The main thing that you notice is that it seems in this Urban Fantasy World you have to be snarky and sarcastic to be a practitioner.  Tobias Winter has that facet to his character and I fully understand why some reviewers felt like they could hear Peter Grant talking through him.  For me, the character is different enough that I did not feel this way but some of the characteristics are very reminiscent of Grant (I suspect they are this way because this is Mr Aaronovitch's personality coming through his writing).  I also really enjoyed all the little nods back to The Folly and the thought of Tobias Winter getting his longed for visit there makes me squee and jump up and down in my comfy reading chair.

The main plotline is decribed very well in the story blurb so I am not going to touch on that as I am worried about inadvertantly throwing in a spoiler or 5.  Suffice to say it is was an extremely welcome expansion of the Universe and a great way to bring in new characters and situations.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 31st March and 3rd April so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

           On the face of it Olivia seems to be pretty well set.  She has a very responsible job in the administration wing of the local hospital, a couple of close friends, a beautiful home and a neighbour who looks out for her.  Of course with the genre this is in you know that this is all going to be blown apart but that's what we are here for, right?!  

Sure enough not only did she have a huge childhood secret from her friends and colleagues but it seems it is now coming back to haunt her.  Of course, as the reader, we know all about what this secret is from the outset and the story is interspersed with extracts from police interviews, eyewitness accounts and media interviews with the family after it was all over. I enjoyed these glimpses back in to the Arden Maynor case and, if I'm being honest had this been a straightforward story about that it would have been so much better.  Instead we have the sometimes tedious story of how it is all coming back to haunt her.

I get the premise of the story and the denouement makes sense (I won't discuss that here because you may want to read the book for yourself).  However, for me it was all a bit obvious and contrived.  Certainly, some of the red herrings planted by the author regarding Arden/Olivia in the present day leave you wondering what the author was thinking and how she ever thought they would fool the reader.

Basically I gave this 3 Stars purely for the flashbacks to the disappearence and subsequent discovery of Arden Maynor and for a couple of later sections in the novel where Olivia starts to realise what really happened to her.  The juxtaposition between the media take and the reality is handled well and was enjoyable to read.  The rest of it not so much, too much padding and transparent misdirection.

I was quite trepidacious going in to this book as I have read Megan Miranda before and, in my opinion, the stories are slowly going downhill.  The basic plots are usually good but it is the execution of that plot that often lets the books down.  In previous books there has been what I perceive as a needless wandering down red herring routes that appears to be nothing more than a way to pad the word count.  To be honest this book suffers from that as well, fortunately to a lesser degree than in the previous book.  However, I won't be excited to see a new book release from this author and will likely only pick it up if it is on a cheap offer.

This review has been a long time coming.  I actually read this book between the 13th and 27th July 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines.  Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.
       

Lego Destiny's Bounty 71705

 Although I have purchased quite a few of the Ninjago sets because I really like the look of a lot of them.  I have never watched the Ninjago series so the actual characters and their stories are a mystery to me but many of these kits just look so aesthetically pleasing to me that I had to grab them.  So, finally got around to building my first one and thought I might as well start with the biggest one I own - go big or go home am I right!

This would have probably been a 5 star review as the completed ship does look really good and it has a decent amount of play value with a lot of mini figures included.  However, it is a little fragile feeling in places and I am not sure how well it would stand up to being played with properly.

One of my other problems with the set is the placement of the black half circles on the "bridge" area of the ship.  It is a technique I have used previously but for some reason I just cannot get them to sit securely when fitting as per the instructions.  I am going to have to modify them a little bit as I hate the way they just don't sit flush the way they should.  Connecting the winged pieces at the rear of the ship is also far more fiddly than it needs to be and I know they are supposed to be posable but they just feel loose and like they will pop back off if you play with them too much.

On the upside the sails look great when in place and the mechanism to flap them is really clever.  The little bridge house easily pops on and off as it is fitted like the levels on a modular building.  Even better it opens out flat so you can use it as a little playset.  I do love the dragon head figurehead for the ship too, looks a lot better in real life than it does on the pack images.

Overall, well worth the price and well worth the time spent building it.  Looks great on the shelf and no doubt it will look even better when I have got around to building some more of the series.

Number Of Pieces: 1781

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.07

Build Time: 6 Hours

 

Lego Wrecking Ball 75976

 Okay, cards on the table, I only purchased this set for the hamster mini figure.  He is just SO darned cute how could I possibly resist him?  The Overwatch theme isn't really my thing - I am aware of the game but have never played it and have no inclination to.  Another plus point is that it works well to balance out the ship from Lego Movie 2 as it is a similar size and shape so just makes my shelving display look a bit better.

Some nice building techniques are used in this set and I did enjoy the build.  A few stickers do need to be placed (or discarded if that's your thing) but there is a large printed piece included and I am eternally relieved that I didn't have to use a sticker for that piece.  That would have been a real disaster.

My particular favourite with this completed product is the mechanism for the hatch.  Works really well to raise and lower Hammond out of what is the cockpit and I did fiddle with it a lot and it works smoothly every single time.  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to position the legs so it will stand on the shelf for display, I did expect it to be a bit unsteady but it really isn't.

Overall, a great kit that was fun to build and HAMMOND!

Number Of Pieces: 227

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.08

Build Time: 45 Minutes

 

What Happened To The Book Reviews?

 To be honest I have barely picked a book up in recent months and although I have a back log of reviews to write for finished books I just haven't got the impetus to get caught up just yet.

As everyone knows 2020 has been a very peculiar year for us all.  I'm based in the UK and our first lockdown started on the 23rd March and we are currently heading towards the end of our second lockdown.  However, due to health issues my lockdown started on the 18th March.  Since then I have been out of the house for food shopping, getting my medications, topping the utilities up and buying Lego.  So, with the exclusion of Lego literally just things that had to be done.  I'm fortunate enough to be working from home and haven't had to experience furlough, I have lost all my overtime which is a real pain as that was my discretionary budget so I will be honest and say I have taken on a lot of debt these last few months but what's done is done and at least I have physical objects to show for said debt (Lego!).

As you can probably tell from the only posts on here I have replaced reading with building Lego.  There are MANY reasons for this but the main one is I have found it very difficult to concentrate on reading.  Where I could once literally read for 6 or 8 Hours I find trying to go more than 10 minutes really difficult.  I want to be doing as it keeps my brain shut down from those thoughts we try and avoid, the obnoxious voice in your head that is just there to damage you.  I started baking and although I still bake occasionally it is only occasional as most of it ends up in the bin as there is only me that eats it so that's tapered off.  Cue trying an old childhood favourite - Lego.  This has been my saviour throughout 2020.  It makes me happy on so many levels and I love just sitting in my bedroom or living room and looking at my displayed completed kits and remembering the builds.

So, what's the future for my main purpose of this blog - Book Reviews?

I am going to start trying to catch the old reviews back up.  They will probably be really vague though as the period I have to review is 31st March to 13 August.  Although, there really aren't that many books to review for this span.

I also have 2 books that remain unfinished one I started on the 28th May and the other on the 13th August.  In fact until recently I had not read a book (physical or on Kindle) since about the 15th August and that is really not like me.  However, I did pick up an old favourite on the 10th November and read a few chapters over a couple of days.  I do intend to have a bit of a read of that today and am looking forward to it.

One of my other distractions has been watching You Tube, especially True Crime.  The main channels that have been distracting me from picking a book up are:

True Crime Content:

Bailey Sarian

Stephanie Harlowe 

Kendall Rae 

Historical Sewing Content:

Bernadette Banner 

Documentary Style Abandoned Content:

Bright Sun Films 

The Proper People

Right, off to catch my Lego reviews up and then hopefully write a book review, but we'll see.

Lego City

 I think I have a problem with Lego City kits, especially the fire and police themed sets.  I don't know why but I keep buying all these different configurations of these themes so I have ended up with quite a few of them:

Apologies for the messy display.  At the moment I am trying to figure out where I could do a tabletop display and how big to make it, how to lay it out.  So, for now they are all just crammed on to a shelf with no real rhyme or reason to the layout.

More disturbingly, I still have quite a bit to build from the City theme and I have no idea where it is going to live.  Talk about first world problems!

Lego Downtown Fire Brigade 60216

 There is a LOT going on in this kit and definitely gives a large amount of play value.  From the training tower to a bit of street construction to vehicles (both air and land) there is a lot to do when it is all built.  There is a lot to build and although there are some large extruded pieces it will still take you a good while.

I think my favourite thing is the detailing on the training tower.  Particularly the two lion heads on the pediment at the top of the building.  Genuinely got a "WOW" out of me when I saw the moulded pieces and really made the whole set for me.  This is a surprise because it has the Light & Sound brick for the top of the fire truck and I love that particular piece.

The only downside for me was that I could not get the rear of the truck to connect properly to the engine portion.  I am only going to have this displayed in my city so it's not a big problem but it did frustrate me.  Could just have been that it was late in the day and I had spent several hours building already but could be a problem for you too.

Overall this is a great and very full set.  Allows you to create a lot of different scenarios and with the inclusion of the construction workers and models you can even split it up for different areas of your city.

Number Of Pieces: 943

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.10

Build Time: 3 Hours