Guest Review: The Jedi Academy Trilogy II: Dark Apprentice (Star Wars) by Kevin J. Anderson
Fiction , Guest Posts , Latest Posts / December 22, 2012

Buy this Star Wars Book in paper or elec­tronic copy* Andrew: Orig­i­nally pub­lished at: http://www.rancorslovetoread.com/2009/01/andrews-review-of-jedi-academy-trilogy_30.html 2/5 Rancors – Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy Trilogy continues in this second volume, Dark Apprentice. At the conclusion of the first entry, Jedi Search, Luke Skywalker had laid the groundwork to start his new academy for training potential Jedi on the planet Yavin IV. Here Anderson explores the early days of the Academy itself, along with continuing the plotline of Admiral Daala’s exploits and also devoting a large amount of the story to a new storyline involving Princess Leia and Admiral Ackbar. There is a reasonably interesting story present in this book. Unfortunately, it is dragged down by pedestrian writing and Anderson’s inclination to directly spell out exactly what the characters are feeling and thinking. There’s not any room for subtlety and what drama there is gets undercut by passages that feel more like summaries than prose. The most engagingly written plotline in this book is the tragedy that befalls Admiral Ackbar on a trip to Vortex to visit the legendary Cathedral of Winds. In the aftermath of the Vortex disaster, Ackbar resigns from the New Republic government and returns home to Mon Calamari. Soon after, Chief of State Mon Mothma falls gravely…

Book Review: O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
3 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / December 20, 2012

Article first published as Book Review: O Pioneers! by Willa Cather on Blogcritics. About: O Pioneers!By Willa Cather was written in 1913 and is considered the first novel of the Great Plains trilogy. The novel has many themes including isolation, love and feminism. 128 pages Publisher: Dover Publications Language: English ISBN-10: 0486277852 My rating for O Pioneers! – 3 Buy this book in paper or FREE in electronic format More Books by Willa Cather Thoughts: I’ve only been recently introduced to the writing of Willa Cather. I believe it was on some “top 100” list (who said they’re lame?) and figured I’ll give it a try. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather is considered a classic and I can certainly understand why. The writing is outstanding and it has all the makings of the great American novel. The story tells of hard work, wide eyed innocence towards the future and opportunities abound as seen through the eyes of the immigrant class. The scenery plays a major part in the novel, the lyrical episodes about the pastoral land are sprawling and majestic. As is with many other novels, the setting of the harsh and beautiful land is playing out as another character in the…

Book Review: Flash Gordon: The Tyrant of Mongo by Alex Raymond and Don Moore
5 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / December 18, 2012

Flash Gordon: The Tyrant of Mongo: The Complete Flash Gordon Library 1937-1941 by Alex Raymond and Don Moore is an outstanding book which will introduce new readers to the wonderful art of Alex Raymond, drawn to the exciting story of Don Moore. For those who are familiar with the art and story, the format would make the book easier to read and the clear and clean pages make the images jump up much better than the cheap Sunday newspaper.

Bookish Beer – The Raven
Latest Posts / December 17, 2012

As I do when I’m at my local liquor store, I try to pick up a beer or two if it looks interesting and sounds good. Most of the time I stick with Sam Adams, a safe bet (Cherry Wheat … not so much), but every now and then I take a chance and, more often than not, pleasantly surprised. When I saw The Raven Special Lager you know I had to pick it up. Notice the great bottle caps, great packaging and catchy phrase: “The Taste is Poetic”. But, packaging aside, the beer is actually…. very good! I bought it for a party we hosted which had a nice mix of people from the US and abroad, they all agreed that it was a descent beer and actually went quite fast. Anyone who opened the fridge took The Raven first and commented on how good it was. I hope they’ll make more literary beers, it’s a great way to introduce authors into people’s homes who otherwise wouldn’t even bother opening a book. I wonder how many people looked up who Sam Adams was after they saw his name on the shelf? Just keep the quality high! Zohar – Man of la Book…

$50 Giveaway & Book Review: A Hard Act to Follow by Henry Bushkin
Latest Posts / December 15, 2012

About: A Hard Act to Follow by Henry Bushkin is a memoir by Johnny Carson’s friend, longtime money-manager about their relationship. This is a very personal book told in a very personal way and sheds some light, for outsiders like me, on the whole entertainment industry. The giveaway is held by the book tour promoters – please see the form and instructions below. My rating for A Hard Act to Follow – 4 Thoughts: A Hard Act to Follow by Henry Bushkin (website | Facebook | @henrybushkin) is a tremendous insight into the world of entertainment and the private world of celebrity talk show host Johnny Carson. Mr. Bushkin was Carson’s lawyer officially, but he was much more than that, a tennis partner, adviser, enforcer but most importantly a friend who lent a trusted ear and provided advice with Carson’s benefit in mind. The book tells of the 20-year relationship between Bushkin and Carson, filled with wonderful stories about a man who many Americans spent a lot of time watching, but never really knew. One of the themes of the book is the price of fame, which seemed to be a theme I encountered in several books this year. While Carson was…

Book Review: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
3 Stars , Latest Posts / December 11, 2012

About: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver is a fictional book taking place in Appalachia. The book is very lyrical and rich exploring the simple yet complex life of rural Tennessee. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. 448 pages Publisher: Harper Language: English ISBN-10: 0062124269 My rat­ing for Flight Behavior —3 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* More Books by Barbara Kingsolver Thoughts: I was excited to get Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (website | Facebook), her books automatically go to my “to read” list. The books I read are all unique and different from one another focusing on various themes and subjects. The writing is fantastic, however I did not feel any connection to the characters and the story is slow. The book picks up in places, just as you’re ready to put it down, but then it goes on dragging especially when it comes to the protagonist’s personal life versus her professional life. Maybe because of the characters boredom with her family life, which we are told practically from the first paragraph, the author chose to slow down the pace – for me it simply didn’t work. The theme of the book is…

Book Review: Breaking the Code by Karen Fisher-Alaniz
4 Stars , Latest Posts , Non-Fiction / December 10, 2012

About: Breaking the Code: A Father’s Secret, A Daughter’s Journey and the Question That Changed Everything by Karen Fisher-Alaniz is a non-fiction book which tells about the author’s research into her father’s service in World War II. The publisher is giving away one print copy US address or one eCopy any e-mail address, enter using the Rafflecopter at the end of the post. 336 pages Publisher: Sourcebooks Language: English ISBN-10: 1402261128 My rat­ing for Breaking the Code — 4 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* Check out this & more World War II books on Man of la BookStore Thoughts: As followers of this blog Know, I love reading about World War II and especially memoirs of the “Greatest Generation” who, unfortunately is leaving us by the thousands each week. Many of those dying have amazing stories which will forever be untold, projects like Speilberg’s “Survivors of the Shoah Visual History ” are extremely important not only for for the children of the “Greatest Generation” but also for future historians and for a better world. Which is why, when I was offered to join the tour for Breaking the Code by Karen Fisher-Alaniz (website | Facebook) I jumped at the opportunity – I was not disappointed. The book is much more than a memoir, it is a heartfelt tribute to a man who…

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