This at times is a hilarious book chock full of one liners that I have since added to my vernacular. The chapters on packing their bags and the anecdote about the relative hanging up a picture frame are full of funny moments throughout. Unfortunately there are also several chapters, inconveniently placed right near the center of the book where I often find myself failing to slog through and finish titles, which are so laden with overly flowery prose and obscure bits of English local history that I nearly fell asleep. The book comes round again to end with some gems like the discussion on fishermen's tales late in the story. Overall I would say this book could be pared down in an abridged version and it would be perfection, but in its current form I found it too dull for my taste on multiple occasions to warrant receiving more than …
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sh00g rated And Then There Were None: 3 stars

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None is a mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, described by her as the …
sh00g reviewed Three Men in a Boat by Jerome Klapka Jerome
Bits of laugh out loud mixed with bits I'd rather skip
3 stars
This at times is a hilarious book chock full of one liners that I have since added to my vernacular. The chapters on packing their bags and the anecdote about the relative hanging up a picture frame are full of funny moments throughout. Unfortunately there are also several chapters, inconveniently placed right near the center of the book where I often find myself failing to slog through and finish titles, which are so laden with overly flowery prose and obscure bits of English local history that I nearly fell asleep. The book comes round again to end with some gems like the discussion on fishermen's tales late in the story. Overall I would say this book could be pared down in an abridged version and it would be perfection, but in its current form I found it too dull for my taste on multiple occasions to warrant receiving more than three stars. Still, it is miraculous how so much of the humor holds up and is still so relatable to this day.
sh00g rated Lord of the Flies: 5 stars

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Lord of the Flies is a 1954 novel by Nobel Prize–winning British author William Golding. The book focuses on a …
sh00g reviewed Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney
Oath and Honor—Required Reading for Freedom-Loving Americans
4 stars
Oath and Honor is a captivating retelling of the January 6th, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. It contains well documented evidence based research about the events leading up to that fateful day, on the day itself, and in the aftermath and subsequent fallout. Cheney provides compelling evidence in the same vein as that which was relayed during the January 6th Committee to Investigate the Attack on the United States Capitol.
While I disagree wholeheartedly with many of Cheney's political positions, she and the rest of the bipartisan team did an incredible service to our country. Collectively they researched and organized mountains of information, interviewed and obtained testimony from almost exclusively Republican witnesses to avoid any suggestion of partisan lean in their reporting, and delivered concise, but thorough accounts of what actually happened.
No other piece of media I have seen aside from the Committee …
Oath and Honor is a captivating retelling of the January 6th, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. It contains well documented evidence based research about the events leading up to that fateful day, on the day itself, and in the aftermath and subsequent fallout. Cheney provides compelling evidence in the same vein as that which was relayed during the January 6th Committee to Investigate the Attack on the United States Capitol.
While I disagree wholeheartedly with many of Cheney's political positions, she and the rest of the bipartisan team did an incredible service to our country. Collectively they researched and organized mountains of information, interviewed and obtained testimony from almost exclusively Republican witnesses to avoid any suggestion of partisan lean in their reporting, and delivered concise, but thorough accounts of what actually happened.
No other piece of media I have seen aside from the Committee meetings themselves have better characterized the conspiracy led by Donald Trump, his election campaign members, and many individuals still today serving in the US House of Representatives. This book should be required reading for every American—especially given it is an election year, and an extraordinarily consequential one at that.
I am only giving four out of five stars due to Cheney's continued reliance on touting the virtues of prior Republican icons, namely Ronald Reagan. While I agree that Reagan sought to be a Constitutionalist, it is undeniable that so many of his economic and domestic policy positions have done tremendous harm to the United States. That being said, in spite of this fellation of Conservatism as a political ideology, Cheney does a tremendous job of highlighting how important this effort was to all Americans, regardless of their political alignment.
I think this paragraph sums up the work best: "Because America's democratic system has endured longer than any in history, it can be easy to take its survival for granted. Sometimes people would tell me that January 6 wasn't so bad, because, after all, our institutions had held. I would remind them that our institutions don't defend themselves. The institutions only held because of a handful of Americans who did their duty and refused to yield to Donald Trump's pressure. And because of the men and women in law enforcement who literally defended our democracy when it came under attack."
Thank you to the work Cheney and all other individuals who researched and delivered this information did for the American people.
sh00g reviewed Hide by Kiersten White
A Heavy-Handed Tale of Societal Unfairness and the Vengeance Against It
3 stars
Content warning Mild thematic spoilers
Hide is an okay read. It starts off as an interesting premise that feels like it is going to echo the Hunger Games, Squid Game, and similar "battle Royale" type media. Then some occult-meets-privilege twists are thrown in to shake up the formula.
The plot was pretty predictable and it was so full of very Heavy-Handed critiques of generational wealth and privilege that it didn't really land with much impact. The characters are also two dimensional and the simplificity and repetition of dialogue styles made all of them feel identifical. The protagonist does experience some growth, but none of the other characters do. The villains in the story are so black and white plain evil that they feel copy-pasted and unreal.
If this book were longer I think I'd rate it more poorly, but it is a quick, easy read that at least has some attention grabbing qualities.
sh00g rated Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: 4 stars

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. …
sh00g rated The Magicians: 3 stars

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
A thrilling and original coming-of- age novel about a young man practicing magic in the real worldQuentin Coldwater is brilliant …
sh00g rated Leviathan Wakes: 4 stars

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (The Expanse, #1)
Humanity has colonized the solar system—Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond—but the stars are still out of our …
sh00g rated The Lightning Thief: 3 stars
sh00g rated The elements of eloquence: 5 stars

The elements of eloquence by Mark Forsyth
From classic poetry to pop lyrics, from Charles Dickens to Dolly Parton, even from Jesus to James Bond, Mark Forsyth …
sh00g rated Tender Is the Flesh: 2 stars

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, Sarah Moses
A society where cannibalism has been legalized because of an animal Virus, leaves the butcher Marcos struggling with his morality …
sh00g rated Snow Crash: 5 stars

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (A Bantam spectra book)
In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosaNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he’s a warrior prince. …