Alrightgames: I Doubt It

I Doubt It (a.k.a. Cheat, Bullshit)

Card game / 3+ players (or 2 players with a spare pile)

****

This exercise in sequential deception was a big hit with the five-year-old, especially when mixing two decks (including jokers) to stretch credibility further.

Babyliography CCXXI

Nick Butterworth, One Springy Day

2019 / School book / 32 pages

**

Percy the parkkeeper seems vaguely familiar. She'll be in for a shock when she gets to Farthing Wood.

Joseph Coelho and artists, Ten-Word Tiny Tales

2023 / Library book / 56 pages

***

An exercise I've tried myself, it wasn't surprising that most tended towards the creepy, sometimes too much for a for a five-year-old whose limit is Monster High. I read her a few choice morsels and enjoyed the rest myself.

Sorrel Pitts, My Little Pony Ladybird Readers Beginner: Izzy's Presents / Hitch Finds an Egg / Sparky, Where Are You? / Where Is Sunny's Lantern? / The Storm

2023 / Library books / 120 pages

**

Before she could read, these were just overly simplified storybooks, but now they're filling in as more appealing school books to keep her practising over the summer holidays. More appealing for her, at least.

Unknown, Step Into Reading: Frozen Story Collection

2015 / Paperback / 160 pages

**

Not new, but she fortunately remembered she had this on the shelf when she'd reached its reading level and it had a purpose, before it was rendered unreadable again.

Chris Van Allsburg, Jumanji

1981 / Library book / 32 pages

****

An eager re-read of the classic picture book after watching the scariest film of her young life.

Babyliography CCXX

Suzy Senior and Patrick Corrigan, How to Spot a Mermaid

2025 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Same thing as the unicorn one, choose your favourite elusive magical creature.

Alice Hemming and Mike Byrne, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Tickets

2021 / School book / 16 pages

**

I'll be surprised if Trish isn't the most annoying character in the range.

Unknown, The Children's Encyclopedia of Animals

2015 / Paperback / 224 pages

***

A decent find in Morrisons' book exchange that should be handy for future screen-free homework, even if it was mainly appealing for the lenticular mandrill.

Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird, I Need a New Bum!

2018 / Library book / 32 pages

*

She was more amused by the concept than the execution. Being sexist, I was surprised that a lady wrote it.

Clare Helen Welsh and Irene Montano, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Scrap Rat

2020 / School book / 16 pages

**

If some plot details don't fit your rigid vocabulary scheme, just leave them unexplained, that's right.

Ranking Star Trek: The Next Generation season four

I've been hanging off that cliff for a while now, so it's probably time to treat myself / waste more precious time watching and rating another classic run of episodes, probably. I hope Jean-Luc's okay.

Alrightreads: Ghoulies

Rupert Matthews, Haunted Chester

1992 / Ebook / 24 pages

***

Studying up on atmospheric bullshit to mix up our next visit.

Alvin Schwartz and Victoria Chess, Ghosts!: Ghostly Tales from Folklore

1991 / Ebook / 64 pages

**

It's no In a Dark, Dark Room, but at least I found one safe scare to pass on.

Various, A Glitch in the Matrix: Tales of the Unexplainable Unreal

2024 / Ebook / 256 pages

****

I don't know who the TikTok-based curator is, as I'm nearly 40, but unsubstantiated accounts of weird experiences/dreams are basically my favourite things to read on the internet.

Tom Slemen, Haunted Cheshire

2004 / Paperback / 208 pages

***

More tall tales from an incredulous curator boosted by the gimmick of being set in places I've seen on road signs.

Danny Robins, Into the Uncanny

2023 / Audiobook / 315 pages

***

The author-presenter's personal experiences are the main draw, but since they're so fleeting, most of the book is just the novelisation of more engaging podcasts.

Alrightreads: Small press curios

A. E. van Vogt, Slan

1940 / Audiobook / 124 pages

***

Vintage action psi-fi, if you don't get enough xenophobic politics in your 21st-century utopia.

Michael Griffin, Armageddon House

2020 / Audiobook / 124 pages

***

Lostlike amnesiac odyssey.

Richard Herring, Emergency Questions

2017 / Ebook / 128 pages

***

In case you didn't hear them repeated often enough on his podcast, or mistakenly think half a decade is enough of a gap, why not try this relentless litany of random inquisitiveness and other familiar observations going back to the 1990s.

Berit Ellingsen, Vessel and Solsvart

2013-17 (collected 2017) / Ebook / 104 pages

***

Parables of decrepitude and painful living death. Maybe I should read cheerier things?

Faves: 'Among the Living and the Dead,' 'Summer Dusk, Winter Moon'

R. B. Russell, Putting the Pieces in Place

2009 / Ebook / 128 pages

**

Trad and subverted ghost stories in the non-atmospheric present.

Alrightgames: Chess

Chess

~600 AD / Abstract strategy game / 2 players

****

My five-year-old's never been very enthusiastic about draughts, which I thought was the junior stage she should get to grips with before introducing the more confusing characters to the board, but she found this diverse cast much more appealing and picked up the movements quickly, if not the strategy and general arseholery as of yet. I'll enjoy this brief time where I look comparatively competent.

Alrightgames: Monster High 348 Cartoon Puzzle

Monster High 348 Cartoon Puzzle

***

It's been a long time since she had a new jigsaw, but she still gets them out occasionally for want of better ideas, so here are nine, or three, or one huge one, depending on how bored you are and how many toys Dad's confiscated. The quality control of children's puzzles remains consistent with the same character appearing in the same picture twice.

Alrightgames: Red Dwarf – Beat the Geek

Red Dwarf: Beat the Geek

2006 / Video trivia game / 1-2 players

**

I may not be fast, but I get there in the end. I evidently wasn't especially interested in playing the Red Dwarf DVD trivia game even back when I could play DVDs, but mild curiosity saw me eventually vicariously play along via someone else's much poorer performance on YouTube before getting bored after a few minutes. The new Holly material's a bit cringey and there's little entertainment to be had, but it's at least better than listening to an album by Olivia Newton-John.

Alrightgames: Aerion expansions

Aerion expansions

2019 / Solo/cooperative dice game expansions / 1-2 players

Another Oniverse game that's heavily reliant on expansions for rounding out the experience, it recaptured the feeling from Onirim of delving to increasingly perilous depths, especially when you pile them on cumulatively. While you're always at the mercy of the dice, there are enough tricks to learn that make it winnable most of the time. It helped that I enjoy playing it so often.

The Flagship ****

A slight but essential complication, keep them coming. Having to finish another ship isn't a notable hassle, and the special abilities are probably overcompensation, but the rulebook recognises this and suggests hard modes for most of these, if that's a problem you're facing.

The Hourglasses ***

Another job to think about, but also lots more handy discard opportunities that again probably makes things easier. One idea across 36 cards isn't that interesting though, and this could have just been part of the base game.

The Stone Clouds ****

Quirkier than the boring Hourglasses, these fiddly tokens and annoying cards only seemed to make things harder at first, with no payoff – until I realised how they fit around the ship tokens and my comprehension similarly unlocked. The challenge is the point, and beating it is a buzz. It's slightly disappointing that each batch of birdies didn't get unique artwork though (see also the next two expansions).

The Piers ***

Getting yourself increasingly into debt for bad investments adds an unhealthy dose of relatable stress to your after-work activity, but like the Stone Clouds, it's extra satisfying to beat.

The Hammer Bird Eggs ***

These stubborn chicks initially just seemed to get in the way until I realised how handy they can be for swapping out dud cards (or trying to, at least). Potentially game-saving when you need a specific card to come up, potentially game-ending if they flood the display, though that hasn't come up yet.

The Hellkite ****

It took a few games of losing to the big bad to realise I should prioritise the offensive to break down the barriers and start getting the sweet rewards, but then some other appendage gets neglected instead. If you're mixing everything in, there are so many combinations and calculations to keep track of every roll that you're bound to miss some optimal actions when they come up, but it's good to have the options.

To the Stars!: Stellarion >

Alrightgames: Aerion

Aerion

2019 / Solo/cooperative dice/card game / 1-2 players

*****

Surprisingly my favourite in the niche of dice-based Oniverse games, and beating One Deck Dungeon for elaborate Yahtzee, this dice-finagling exercise looked to be one of the less appealing in the series and most likely resales in theory, but it charmed me in play as I literally helped dreams take flight. Then I couldn't put it down for a month.

It's customarily reliant on its expansions to add depth and replayability, at least a couple of which should probably be part of the base game from the start, before things get weird.

Babyliography CCXIX

Lou Kuenzler and Beatrice Bencivenni, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: The Foolish, Timid Rabbit

2017 / School book / 16 pages

**

Is it Henny Penny? Is it Chicken Licken? No, it's some rabbit.

Dana Simpson, Unicorn Famous: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure

2018 (collected 2021) / Paperback / 176 pages

***

Lucky book 13, interchangeable with most of them.

Various, My Little Pony: Friends Forever, Volume 3

2015 / Paperback / 100 pages

***

Another uneven batch, but Pinkie Pie's lesson is self-control is one for the ages.

Rob Hodgson, The Cave

2018 / Library book / 32 pages

***

Repeatedly borrowed from school and library, she likes the story, I like all the little details. One of the better picture books out there.

Sally Nicholls and Carolina Rabei, Who Makes an Ocean?

2024 / Library book / 32 pages

***

Flatly stating that a god didn't make the ocean is a fair balance to what she's imbibing in unofficially Christian school assemblies. Otherwise, this was still a bit complex as an ELI5.

Babyliography CCXVIII

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo's Child

2004 / School book / 32 pages

**

The Prince Caspian of overrated picture books.

 

Roger Hargreaves, Little Miss Splendid

1981 / Library book / 30 pages (a couple ripped out)

*

Posh sod is exempt from learning lessons.

Jamie Smart, Looshkin: The Adventures of the Maddest Cat in the World

2018 / Library book / 64 pages

***

Going back to the start of a series usually means it makes more sense.

Helen Dineen, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Dogs That Help

2022 / School book / 16 pages

***

Ramping up to Phase 4, she had a crack at reading a page in her mind and unlocked a new permanent skill. Good dogs!

Michael Rosen, Smacking My Lips

1995 / Paperback / 60 pages

***

Like Dr Seuss, I failed to get the appeal of this frivolous children's poet until reading it aloud to someone in single figures. Fingers crossed we come across the hall of lost things in real life to get her doll's accessories back.

Babyliography CCXVII

Jan Burchett, Sara Vogler and Anastasiya Kanavaliuk, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Too Much Soap

2022 / School book / 16 pages

**

She wants to read as well as Savannah does, so we're reading her phonics books three times a week as instructed all along rather than getting them out of the way for unicorns. This was an atmospheric journey, so I didn't mind taking it again.

Susanna Davidson, Mike Gordon and Carl Gordon, The Frog Prince

2012 / School book / 24 pages

**

A few tweaks, but I squashed the theory going around Reception that the frog dies before metamorphosing.

Roger Hargreaves, Little Miss Shy

1981 / Library book / 32 pages

*

Another 'flawed' personality pressured into conforming. We discussed why this wasn't good.

Catherine Casey and Lee Teng, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Food on the Farm

2021 / School book / 16 pages

**

The non-fiction ones are our favourites, even when they're inaccurate about the colour of beetroot.

Various, Oxford Reading Tree: Level 3 – Traditional Tales – Chicken Licken and Other Stories

2013 / Library book / 80 pages

***

Some dumb changes for the sake of it, but she zipped through them.

Aimee's art review

Albrecht Altdorfer, The Battle of Alexander at Issus (1529)

"I like this one. All the people, the message in the sky and the sun and the moon, it's very detailed. It's my favourite one."

Tsuguhara Foujita, Girl in the Park (1957)

"I like this one because it's bright and detailed."

Sam Francis, Around the Blues (1962)

"I don't like that one, it's rubbish."

Agnolo Bronzino, An Allegory of Venus and Cupid (1545)

"This is rude, because they're naked. There's a bottom there, a bottom there, there's even a willy. It's rude. I like it!"

Josef Albers, Homage to the Square (1964)

"The best thing about it is nothing. The worst thing about it is that it's just totally yellow. That's the worst one."

More songs by Aimee

The artist's second EP of song lyrics and stock photo selections following her 2024 debut.

I'll Always Have Your Back

You have to always remember

That I'll have your back

Forever

But didn't you know

That I'm sticking together with you

Some day we might be apart

But I don't think we will

Because we're together

I'll always have your back

No matter what

Because we're together

Forever

But didn't you know

That I'm sticking together with you

Forever

I'll always have your back

No matter what

Because we're together

Forever

Didn't you know

That we're sticking together

I'll always have your back

No matter what

Because we're together

Forever

Together Forever

How I shine

Shine though it's dark

You and me

You and me

That's a good reason why you love me

That's a good reason why you make me smile

And that is what I did with you

That is the reason why I have long hair like you

That is the reason I have black hair

Ohh ohh

Look at me, look at you, we're together now

Together all of us

We're all together, forever

Always be together, no matter what

I know we're together forever

You never worry about me being apart

I'll never forget you're me, you're in my heart

You were the reason that you made me fly in my dreams

The Money Song

[A half-hour financial epic improvised live at the playground and on the walk home, only a few fragments were recorded for posterity]

The money so-o-ong

Mo-o-o-o, mo-ney

Mo-o-o-o, mo-ney

Mo-o-o-on, ey-ey

Mo-o-o-on, ey-ey

You can do a painting job

You did the painting really well

And you get paid

You get the money today

Money, it's easy to get

You plant the crop

You plant the potatoes

You plant anything

Or you can do a different job

Like in the cafe

Be a babysitter

Whatever

And you'll get money, money

You'll get lots of money

Right in your day

You can get a coin

Put it in the locker, if you have one

My friend always has something in common

So let's pray for the day and shine bright with each other

So we can see the money, the mone-e-e-ey

Gloves Endless Song

[Scene: Wearing a pair of gloves on a hot summer day]

I'm definitely not taking my gloves off

Even though it's hot

I've got a secret, in my head...

Fine.

[Takes the gloves off]