The Thirteen Best Board Games for Adults
By Laurel Copes
​
Classic board games are great the first ten times you play them, but after a while "Monopoly" just isn't exciting anymore. There are tons of old and new options for when your game nights get stale. Here are the thirteen best board games for adults who are tired of endlessly playing "Apples to Apples":

1. The Settlers of Catan

Settle the island by competing against other players for resources and building settlements. Once you’ve got a feel for things, check out all of the expansion packs available for “Catan” that give it endless gameplay possibilities.

2. Pandemic

In this cooperative game you work with other players as disease specialists to eradicate diseases that threaten to destroy the world.

3. Scythe

Race to conquer all of the territory in a reimagined 1920s Europe by vying for resources in this aesthetically-pleasing game.

4. Secret Hitler

Each player is assigned a political party and character and works with other members of their party to elect government officials. Simple enough, except for the few fascists lurking about who are trying to elect Hitler as chancellor. Hello, political intrigue and deceit.

5. 7 Wonders

Lead one of the seven great ancient cities to victory and build a wonder while you’re at it. Having resources, developing science, and dominating military action will lead you to the win in this game.

6. Agricola

Take your farm from poverty to prosperity by being the player with the most valuable cards. There are many ways to upgrade and downgrade this game, making it accessible for all levels of experience.
7. Set

Compete against other players to make sets of cards based on shapes, shadings, and colors in this fast-paced game. The player with the most sets when the deck runs out wins!

8. Ticket To Ride

Dominate the railways by connecting cities and fulfilling tickets in this super user-friendly game. Earning the most points will get you the win and maybe make you feel like Vanderbilt himself.

9. Biblios

Compete against your friends to curate the greatest library by balancing resources and workers. Getting the most victory points will secure you the win, but more importantly, you’ll have a treasure trove of literary gold.

10. Smallworld

Play for domination of a world that is just too small to support the civilizations of every player in the game. The winner will have defeated all competing leaders and amassed a wealth of coins in the process.

11. Cards Against Humanity

Everyone’s favorite party game for people with a twisted sense of humor. You compete to see who can make the most hilarious matches out of different words and phrases, ensuring a good time and lots of laughs for all players. Just don’t break this one out for family game night.

12. Carcassonne

The game board is created as you play “Carcassonne,” with players adding a tile every time they have a turn. It’s a dynamic game that changes every time you play. The player who gets the most points from their ventures (you can be farmers, robbers, monks, and knights) in the game wins.

13. The Resistance: Avalon

Join the force of good or evil to battle in teams against one another on behalf of these forces. To win, teams must complete or hinder three quests with characters such as Arthur and Merlin popping up along the way. Once a team has won, they then unleash their good or evil onto the world forever.

Originally published on The Odyssey Online (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/13-best-board-games-adults)
 
Edited by London Koffler
 

​Bluster
JD DeHart
 
Mr. Bluster used to
seem kind and bellows
seemed to have power
in my younger days.
 
A bellow is nothing
more than a rough-
sounding wind.
 
Let the abuser be
his own fence, let
your lovely light
be cherished.
 
Do not spend
your time with anyone
that does not hold
your vision to heart.
 
Share your dreams
with dreamers, your love
with those capable
of loving.
 
Avoid didactic poetry,
when possible, apologies
for this verse included.

Shine Theory and the Power of Female Friendships
By
Laurel Copes

As with most women, female competition has been a part of my life since I was child. I remember vying for a position in the most exclusive clique my elementary school had to offer, running errands for the cool girls and planning ways to get new clothes in case that would give me a leg up over my fellow hopefuls. As I've grown, the lure of clique mentality has diminished, but not the pressure to see the women around me as competition. A girl who seems happier, more beautiful, and more successful than I do is an easy person for me to hate. I look at her and see less in myself. This is especially true knowing that in business, relationships, and friendships she and I will be pitted against one another.

The Shine Theory turns this attitude on its head and encourages women to remember that female friendships are a vital and rewarding part of understanding who you are and what you're worth. After gaining popularity in an article written for The Cut, Shine Theory started circulating social media and evolving as women of all ages and backgrounds grasped onto the idea of being Shine Theory girls. The basic idea is that surrounding yourself with strong and powerful women can enrich your life and inspire you to greatness. If your friends shine, then you will shine. That happy, beautiful, and successful girl you so want to hate is really the girl you need to be friends with. If you've already got a great group of friends, this means celebrating their successes instead of secretly coveting them.

It seems like this should be an easy thing to do, but it is common to feel like you are standing in the shadows of other women when our successes and failures are so easily quantifiable by things such as Instagram likes, a limited amount of jobs, the numbers on a scale, or swipes left and right on dating apps. However, investing in your female friendships and lifting the women around you up is infinitely more rewarding than competing with them for an imagined ideal. There is nothing more powerful than to know that you are surrounded by people who see the best in you and celebrate your achievements with true joy. Helping other women to shine is only going to make you shine too.
​
Originally published on The Odyssey Online: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/shine-theory-power-female-friendships
Edited by London Koffler
 

AUTHOR: Mary Paddock
NARRATOR: Bel Harris
PUBLISHER: Dreaming Big Publications, website: dreamingbigpublications.com
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Hannah Whitfield is tired of living a lie. She's been so caught up in hiding her affair from her husband Jeff and her three children that she cannot remember the last time she was honest with anyone, including her lover, Clint.
Telling Jeff the truth is the hardest thing she's ever done, but she expects Clint to understand when she ends the affair. After all, he's the one who said "When it's over, it's over". Instead, he spends months stalking and intimidating Hannah. At last, Hannah believes she has finally convinced him to give up, and she and Jeff go camping. But Clint follows, and his actions alter the course of Hannah's destiny forever.
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF:  The paperback and ebook of Bright has been receiving 5 star rave reviews. Now, for the first time, this supernatural thriller is also available as an audiobook. You won't want to miss this!
BLOGGERS, VLOGGERS, REVIEWERS:  You may have already reviewed Bright when the paperback and ebook were first released, and if so, we thank you again for your review. You are an important part of the book industry, and your reviews mean so much to us. If you have not reviewed Bright yet, we have free download codes for the audiobook available in very limited quantities. Get yours now! We also still have ebook versions to send to reviewers. Email dreamingbigpublications@outlook.com to get your free review copy today.