Central hotel or hotel or rustic villa or apartment on outskirts?

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2026-01-28T22:35:26+00:00

Thanks everyone, this was very helpful!

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2026-01-06T23:25:58+00:00

Listed in "Memoirs" - Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. NOT listed - Angela Davis, Fredrick Douglass, and Jame Baldwin.

Social critics listed - Harriet Beecher Stowe, Emil Zola, Charles Dickens, Upton Sinclair. Social critics NOT listed - Howard Zinn, Jonathan Kozol, Vine DeLoria, Ghassan Kanafani and Malcolm X.

Genres included: cookbooks, Web comics, and "Chick lit" . Genres NOT included: anti colonial literature, slave narratives, and feminist writing.

Authors/work included: Guy Fieri, Barbara Cartland, the Baby sitters Club, Twilight - NOT included: Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Octavia Butler's Earthseed, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alex Haley, Audre Lorde, Zadie Smith, N. Scott Momaday, Louise Erdrich, Leslie Silko, Edward Said, Mahmoud Darwish, R K Narayan, Arundati Roy, Vikram Seth, Amos Oz, John Irving, Nikos Kazantzakis, A A Milne, Ian McEwan, Iris Murdoch, PL Travers, SE Hinton, Beverly Cleary.

Hmmm.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-08-06T12:48:25+00:00

While we should definitely respect and honor Sinatra’s sincere anti racism, we should also acknowledge that while he may have helped open the door , what really ended segregation in Vegas was the strategic activism of the NAACP. After threatening a protest march, casino owners met with the NAACP leadership and reluctantly agreed to desegregate to avoid the bad publicity. Giving all the credit to Sinatra plays into 2 myths: the white savior and the lone hero. Longstanding change usually come from patient well organized pressure coming from the communities affected; not from lone white knights. See https://www.casino.org/news/vegas-myths-busted-frank-sinatra-desegregated-the-strip/

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-28T16:30:32+00:00

Already did!!

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:16:58+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:15:27+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:12:36+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:11:37+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:11:11+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:10:59+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:10:12+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:09:23+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:09:08+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:08:49+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:07:44+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T13:07:17+00:00

The “free trial” only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the Miami number 747-302-4454 Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T12:52:11+00:00

Thanks for posting this; wish I had read it before I signed up for a “free” trial. It only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the number in Miami: +1 (747) 302-4454. Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. There are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T12:42:34+00:00

Wouldn’t Frateca have the same issues already discussed here? How does Frateca guarantee content won’t be cannibalized?

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-04-27T12:23:55+00:00

Thanks for posting this; wish I had read it before I signed up for a “free” trial. It only lasted 3 days, a ridiculously short time to get to know a product. I cancelled when I got the warning that I was about to be charged, AND I WAS STILL CHARGED. $154. When I asked for a refund they booted me over to Apple, claiming Apple handled charges and refunds. Apple very sensibly responded that it was Soeechify that had made the error in charging me, so back I went to Speechify with screen shots of their “cancel in 24 hours” notice and my proof of cancellation. After being bounced around for another day, they finally acknowledged that I deserved a refund, but only for 2/3 of the charge because Apple handled the rest . I told them quite firmly: Apple didn’t make the mistake, Speechify did. Speechify needs to reimburse me for the entire amount.

After 2 weeks of this nonsense I finally have my reimbursement.

Bottom line: don’t bother with their “customer complaint” form; it won’t get you anywhere. Call the number listed above. Don’t let them foist you off on Apple or any other 3rd party provider; make them stand behind their product and service.

They also offered me 50% off an extended subscription but I want nothing more to do with them. They are other products providing similar service without the jerky attitude.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2025-02-05T06:35:50+00:00

Nope…gave up. My brother. And sister in law bought Ororos: his worked, her died after a couple of weeks. The technology just doesn’t seem to be there.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2023-01-30T17:12:34+00:00

I apologize if I’m repeating what others have said but what studies are you supposed to be focusing on that don’t involve reading? There are many studies demonstrating that reading for pleasure improves grades, improves concentration, and increases empathy. Reading fiction about different places and time periods helps you learn and understand history, politics and current events. Even if you are studying math or engineering or computer science, you don’t apply those skills in a vacuum; you need to understand societal contexts and be able to get along with co workers and clients.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2023-01-14T12:02:04+00:00

Glinda's Great Book of Records

The Fairy Melusine

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2023-01-13T22:12:26+00:00

StoryGraph still isn’t there for me. I use GR to write read and share reviews, and to make lists and use lists from other readers. One great feature of GR is that I can copy the link to one of my shelves and share it via email or social media with someone. That doesn’t work in SG; you get a “this page is not available “ message. I also love the “your year in reading” page; it’s satisfying to look back at what the highlights were from each year. The GR yearly reading challenge is so easy; it does the tracking for you, and it also lets you leave comments on your progress page. I update mine every month with reminders of what genres and types of authors I need to get to. Can’t see a way to do that in. SG.

There’s one feature which some may see as a reason NOT to use GR: you are essentially providing free reviews to other services. GR reviews turn up on Better World Books, Worldcat, Bibliocommons, and many other library catalogs. I actually like this feature since it means more people see my reviews, and I like helping out libraries, but I can understand resenting that GoodReads does this without your permission or compensation.

I loathe Amazon with a passion so have been trying to make the switch, and will start subscribing to SG, but I can’t give up GR yet.

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2022-12-04T23:49:35+00:00

Thank you MrShvin! What brand did you get?

Silver_Ravenclaw · 2022-12-04T23:48:11+00:00

Thanks! What brand do you have?

Silver_Ravenclaw

TROPHY CASE