On the fence about this one
346199
I read this book years and it was a help to me. It did validate a lot of things I was feeling. It did however make me feel like there was a timetable and my progress was too slow.
I also feel that while I did get a lot of validation some of the topics were very generalized and didn't give much practical help.
4031431
While being a big fan of RBs C&C work.. this isn't remotely in the same league. Unsure I can be bothered finishing it
3345236
not crazy about it...but considering the price I did not return....
2894501
I received my GB2 today and I will keep it but I'm not as thrilled with it as I thought I'd be.
I've owned the original GB for awhile now and I've always considered it to be among the top 3 in my collection of around 20 high end folders.
The overall appearance of the GB2 (to me) is nicer than the original due to the larger flared pivot end of the handle and that should aid in the area of safety as well. The liners of the GB2 have been thinned by close to 50% of the original and that has shaved an ounce off the weight of the original; however that really distracts from the beefy quality of the original that I like a lot.
The GB2 blade is around 3/16's in. longer, same thickness except at the edge which seems a little thinner as I can sharpen it to a slightly more hair popping edge than the original.
Here's where I'm most disappointed: if you read reviews of the original you'll find that complaints are very few, when you do find them they usually refer to the fact that disengaging the liner/frame lock to close the blade can be less than effortless and I'd agree with that but it was never a big deal to me. However because of the liners being so much thinner on the GB2 I assumed that the pressure to close the knife would be reduced, the knife I received was actually more difficult to close and I think that's because the bevel of the flat ground into the blade that the end of the lock engages is steeper than the original and seems to be the source of the "stickiness" of the release.
If I was forced to surrender one of the 2 GB's; I don't want to think about it they both have their unique qualities.

Update from yesterday: After a lot of exercising the liner lock it's smoothed out considerably and the stickiness is gone so I'm adding a star.
Really for the cost this is a great EDC or anything you'll need a really sharp and tough folder.
1866977
I'm in between on this one.  I wanted something heavier than a white muslin I have....and it is heavier.  But it is much lighter than my CowboyStudio Premium Mega Cloth Black which is outstanding...but not available in gray.  It has a lot of wrinkles which have not ironed out completely (haven't tried the spray trick noted by other reviewers).  But the potential deal breaker is a lighter band across the fabric just about head high for my models.  It is not on the back side so at this point I've reversed it.  I'll have to do some test shots to see how that affects them.
4072887
I don't know why I don't love this keyboard as much, but it just isn't hitting the wow point for me. I used to have an hp elite wireless keyboard v1, and it was spectacular until it had a little run in with rubbing alcohol which completely messed up everything in the circuitry. This keyboard just seems to be too stiff for my liking. Is it useable? Well yes. I just wish that instead of the 50g actuation force that it seems to have, that it had something more like thirty because that seems to be the average that I had on the old hp keyboard. I guess this helps cut down on the amount of typos that you have because you have to really want to press a key to actually press it, but in terms of typing all day long, it can become a problem, especially with the semi rubberized surface of the keys. These are not hard plastic keys which I am used to where my fingers can slip off them as they go from key to key, but in this they seem to stick and I don't know why exactly this is. All I can say is that I am not willing to spend 40 dollars for the new version of the wireless elite keyboard because it doesn't seem to be worth it since it is wireless (downside in my opinion) and has other issues. Sadly there are no other lighter actuation force scissor switch keyboards.

UPDATE: After a little more use, I can say that the keys have become not quite as stiff. I would say that they are about the proper resistance for gaming, if anyone has that kind of desire. They are great for some amount of typing out messages (like this review here) but nothing like hour long typing journeys that people may face throughout their daily schoolwork. Going based off my previous hp wireless elite, I would say that this has an activation force that is about 1.75 times that (and that had an activation force that rivaled between 50-60 grams". The problem that many are going to face is not getting the proper pressure on the keystrokes, and thus slowing them down as they have to go back and fix the missed letters, whereas I am usually the opposite and think faster than I can type and accidentally double tap a word. Sadly, I am going to get a kensington slim keyboard that is more suitable to long term typing due to the lower activation force. If you are a gamer primarily, or if you just have some kind of typing style in which you already pressdown in hard strokes, then this will be fine for you.
2079925
Not sure how I feel about this story. I can go on & on about a big jerk football player & an indecisive, & overly analytical college girl who can't say no to sex. I didn't feel the connection between those two. Some things about this novel just didn't add up for me. To top it all, I discovered there were other novels in this book I borrowed. And there was no way I was going read them. One was enough:)
1942873
I can't decide if I like this book or I hate this book.  I like the writing and the pace. I'm just not sure if I like Taylor!  I feel a bit of compassion, but really I'm not sure why Shyla would stay with him after the continual creepy circumstances that they seem to really brush over.  This is written in the 50 Shades type style - but I LOVED Christian Gray and never felt that he wasn't worthy of all of the ups and down in his relationship with Ana.  Taylor has some similarities but not nearly enough to make him lovable, and frankly I think Shyla is more than a bit naive at this point. I especially hate where this book ended and think it will be very difficult to wrap up this series in a satisfying manner.
3822853
I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book or not. I think I'm sitting on somewhere in between. I found it interesting. It is certainly concept that captures your attention, but I did struggle with some aspects. Firstly the writing style. I found this book to be a fairly slow read. There were sections of this book that felt long. During excessive and sometimes repetitive recountings I would find myself thinking, I know this already, we've covered this before. Also, there is a whole lot of introspection in this book. Not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes I found there was just too much and it slowed the book down. The ending seemed abrupt in comparison to the rest of the book - a quick resolution, of sorts, that didn't fit with the rest of the book. Although, I'm not sure how else it could have been handled, and it does work.

And now to the plot itself. This storyline seems to have captured people's attention - how will the topic of immaculate conception be handled? What angle with the author take? Well, this is not a retelling of the story of Mary, mother of Jesus. This book does not set out to prove the existence of God. The main character struggles with these questions herself and seems to settle on almost the opposite conclusion. Instead this book is about the reactions of Mina herself and the reactions of her friends, family and that of the wider community. It's about choosing to believe in something, anything, even if you yourself are unsure about what that is. And ultimately, I hope that people find it's about not casting judgement - not judging people for having faith and not harming others if they have a faith that differs from your own. Maybe that's not what the author set out to achieve, but that's what I took from it.

Is this book sacrilegious? I can't answer that. I think it's important to remember that this book is filed under fiction. It's a story, just like any tale about dragons, time travel, or a boy and a girl falling in love. It asks the question What if?

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4547678
I bought this b/c my sister highly recommended it.  I've just used it twice but so far I'm not that impressed.  It is clunky & cumbersome to use.  But maybe part of that is due to our floors & we're renting so it's not like I can do anything to change them.  But basically there are 3 different surfaces w/in the house: hardwoods (that need some TLC), linoleum & ceramic tiles (that's where it moves the smoothest).  I do not like that it can not stand alone by itself - you have to prop it up carefully so that it doesn't fall over (which it did) when I have to stop & switch power outlets.  My other dislike is the cloth pad - it did not wash up well - even after 2 runs thru the washer it is not completely clean.  And it's not like we live in filth & got the pad black w/ dirt or something.  Again, maybe it's our washer (came w/ the house) that is to blame - but 2 cycles?  And it was the only thing in there!  (I don't like the thought of having that amongst any of our other laundry.)  So I have to say I'm kind of regretting my purchase.  I can't stand mopping & was really hoping this would make me hate it a little less but it hasn't.
2974192
At first impression I"m not reall happy with this Oasis unit.  I'll get right to the point of what I think are pro's and con's.

Pro's: light weight, Cover with battery, can flip to use L or R handed.

Con's: The ink is more gray on this unit than my paper white.  I thought I'd have this nice crisp black on white.  To me, NOT so.  Screen is slow to respond for sure.  I thought the Paper White had more light range in its brightness.  I never had my PW beyond the middle setting, where as on the Oasis I have it turned almost all the way up to get a decently lit background.  Search - Every time I try using the Search, it closes out.  I have to touch several times in order to get it to work.  I'd have to say it was not worth the huge price of $289.  Certainly was expecting way more.  Will use for a week or two to see if I'll keep it.

05/09/16 - Have been using now for a few days and I do find that I often press the page tun buttons by mistake too often.  A real pain.  This also makes it difficult to flip the unit to hold with either hand and it seems I execute a number of page turns when I do.  There needs to be a way to turn off the buttons or the touch screen paging feature, unless you want both on which should be an option as well.
I went back to the Amazon site and looked at their ads for this Oasis and note that they often show a crisp BLACK on WHITE screen and that certainly is false.  For this reason I am leaning towards returning it.  I can't stand a company being deceptive about what it is they are selling.
I've tried the unit with cover on and off.  I find the Oasis a bit too thin for my hand and can't then grip it well, so cover is back on.  That is a personal thing I'm sure.  I loved the Paperwhite except for its weight. I think I'd like to have it back but sold it.  To bad, so sad.
I'll update this as I use the Oasis a while longer.
1204023
I haven't decided if its the rhythm of the system or the instructor...I just can't  put my finger on it..i like the video with the floor exercises ,the lift and shape video .iam thinking maybe that the one I should have purchase only. Iam disappointed that I spent the amount of money on it ..will probably just collect dust. Funny I was thinking about giving it one more try, its just not a motivating video.
507098
This is another one that I didn't initially like all that much. Not that it's bad, but when I first read it, I didn't enjoy it as much as her others and now I think it is closer to the first book that she wrote - the kind that grows on you after reading it several times.

Mostly, I have a hard time identifying with any of the characters - it's mostly about these three couples, albeit only five people. It's mostly about love - and I still don't identify with any of them, which is probably why I initially have never cared as much for this one.

I think that the main similarity between this and her first, is that they deal with adultery and the strength of the original couple, despite this mythical romance that she built up for the other (cheating) couples. I guess that is why these books just don't seem right to me. Maybe she has a more real-world view of adultery than I do, but still...

On another note, this book sets up the way the majority of her other novels go - a type of journal sporadic throughout (with it initially unclear as to who the speaker is), followed by the drama of a court case.
4934386
I agree to a certain extent with the other posted review of this book: the plot feels less fully developed and more rushed than the previous books.  One wonders what pressures Wingrove was feeling from his publisher to produce this book under a deadline.  It's difficult to discuss the plot without giving away massive spoilers, but I will say that I'm of two minds in regards to the resolution; I can't quite tell if it's an extraordinarily clever ending or just a painful stretch.  As the previous reviewer mentions, my hope is that the rumored series expansion will flesh out the ending and yield a fitting end to a magnificent series.
2714716
I received a free copy via Inked Rainbow in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book because I liked the premise and I love reading good stories about trans characters. I'm really torn on how I feel about this one.

On the one hand, I really liked the characters. Lydia was sweet and funny, and I loved Callum. With the exception of Lydia's mother, I thought her family was great. There were a number of supporting characters I really liked as well.

On the other hand, I found so many little things that frustrated me. One or two things might not have been a big deal, but that many were distracting. I feel like trans people reading this might want to be forewarned, and people hoping to understand being trans might come away more confused than before. So here are the things which left me feeling uncomfortable.

There were some factual inaccuracies (for example, the FDA has no official stated policy on trans blood donation, and if you've changed your gender with Social Security, no one could tell that way that you're trans; discrimination happens, but in the scenario in the story, it's highly unlikely--I just can't give spoilers for why). The timeline was really confusing with flashbacks to Lydia's life before she left, and it felt like there were holes there. I was put off by constant references to "the sex change thing" and other outdated language. Agatha was potentially a great character, but it got lost in their constant name changes (Agatha, Agnes, Aggie, Ags--which I couldn't tell if they were related to Agatha's in the moment sense of gender or just an error or some other reason) and referring to being gender fluid as "split personalities." Laney identifying as "not into men" but being interested in Benji was also horribly problematic (trans men are men, not some other gender unless they state otherwise and definitely are not lesbians). The trans characters often referred to their dead names (pre-transition/birth-assigned names). Almost all the trans characters were basically heterosexual, and Lydia kept referring to "real sex" despite having been intimate in many ways with Callum by that point. There was heavy focus on "passing" and having sex reassignment surgery. The plot device at the end was a bit over the top for my preference as well.

I'm glad to see more people taking an interest in writing about trans characters, and I hope the trend continues. I did enjoy the love story, but the other elements made it hard to concentrate on that aspect. I guess this just wasn't really the book I hoped it would be.
123995
I can't really comment with any conviction on this one because I bought it for my 'better half'....not for myself.  She likes it..... I just think it's OK.  But then, when it comes to music (and all forms of art/performance) it's in the mind of the beholder on just what can be said.
1343448
I was surprised, after reading the positive reviews I expected to like this device.  It is small and fits nicely on my headboard but that is the best thing I can say about it.  As one reviewer mentioned the mid range is overpowering making it necessary to use a software EQ when listening to mp3's.  The FM radio sounds just OK, I expected better at this price point, and my reception using the telescoping antenna is acceptable but not impressive.  There is a constant hiss from the unit, even when not in use, which may not be noticeable if it were not just above my head while trying to sleep.  Here is the killer for me, as Bluetooth is what I wanted most, there is a buzzing noise whenever connected to a bluetooth device.  The buzz is the same volume no matter how the volume knob is adjusted and since most of my listening is done at low levels with me directly under it I can't get past it.  Even from across the room it is so noticeable to be a deal breaker for me.  When you pause the playback the buzz continues for a second or two then stops, leaving the ever present hiss. None of my many other bluetoth devices have anything nearly as bad as the buzz coming from this unit so I do not think it is a bluetooth issue. One other small complaint is the beep it makes when a device connects.  It is LOUD because I leave the physical volume at about eighty percent and control the volume using my player.  Also, the display is quite bright and can't be adjusted.  If not for its small, attractive, ergonomic design I might have given it only two stars and if not for the horrible buzzing sound it may have received as many as four.  I probably won't return it because I am going to put it in the garage for the FM radio but I am still shopping for a nice small clock radio, Bluetooth, FM radio for my bedside.

Update.  The other day I noticed the clock was way off, also I have never been able to figure out how to get it off 24 hour time, so I reset it.  I thought myself or cleaning lady may have hit the buttons or something but this morning the clock was off again and I have not even used it or touched it since last setting it.  Not sure what is going on but another reason to not use it as a bedside clock radio.  I am reducing my review from 3 stars to 2 stars.  I really am not sure why this thing gets so many 5 star reviews.