Book Review: A Last Act of Charity

“A Last Act of Charity” by Frank Westworth is a solid read. Initially drawn to it by the cover, it starts out with a crime scene and immediately draws you in. It's gritty, exciting, funny, and captivating, everything you'd expect from a good thriller & suspense novel.

The language was descriptive, and at times, humorous. For example, in reference to sensual rope-tying - “How tight should one pull the silken twine before the reef knot turned into the grief knot?” The only thing that diminished the otherwise fluid pace of the story were the one-word sentences, of which there were many. Tons. Numerous. However, that’s just the author’s style, and since I’m talking about it in a review, it made the story unique. 

I didn’t like how the story switched from 3rd person to first person in Chapter 4, despite the chapter title declaring “First Person Plural.” At times, the story also breaks the 4th wall, speaking directly to the reader, which I wasn’t a fan of, but that's just a personal preference.

Overall, the book is an exciting thrill-ride involving crime scenes, action, and intriguing characters who help maintain the pace of the story. The musings of JJ Stoner, the main character, are hilarious and mix nicely with some of the other darker themes of the story. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read featuring a strong lead and a thrilling plot. 

4/5 stars

Apple Airpods Review

Overview

Back in October I bought a pair of Apple Airpods, the first wireless headphones I had ever used. Here are my thoughts:

In life, there are certain things that can be labeled a “game changer”, and wireless headphones are one of those. The Apple Airpods aren’t the traditional wireless headphones, as there is no cable connecting them, so maybe not the best ones to start with, but hey, they are what they are. They have made my life so much more convenient, not having to deal with wires when riding my scooter, at the gym, or while traveling. 

Design

The Airpods fit in my ears well, and will stay in there, but I have one issue. The entire Airpod is made of the same plastic, which is slippery. I do sometimes have to adjust them in my ear while on my scooter as the high winds sometimes cause them to come loose. I bought a cheap silicon thing that can slip over the part that goes in the ear, but then the charging case won’t close despite the thinness of the material.

Tech

The case is light and easy to carry around. Furthermore, the headphones charge extremely fast, and I’ve never had to worry about them dying. In addition, the bluetooth has always worked and connects fast, even when switching between my phone and computer. The sound quality is pretty good. It’s not exceptional, and they won’t even compare to over-the-ear headphones, but the bass is solid and both music and podcasts sound crisp.

A few weeks ago, I dropped the case and put it back in my pocket. When returning home, I found that one of the airpods had fallen out, which was an expensive mistake. It is possible to go to the Apple store to just buy one Airpod, but it wasn’t cheap. I bought a silicon cover that slips over the entire case, thus ensuring it won’t open if dropped again. With that said, I wish the case had a stronger magnet to keep it closed.

Rating

I hate when tech reviews give a certain number of stars or rate a product with a percentage. It’s so arbitrary, like what's the real difference between 95% or 96% when it come to personal opinion? Most tech reviews receive a 3 or 3.5 star rating, which doesn’t exactly tell me if it’s a good product or not. So, I will end my review with “Get it” or “Forget it”, and for Apple’s Airpods, I say get it.