2025 Christmas Goodies

 The family really outdid themselves this year.  I'm truly blessed.  I added a new Star Wars steelbook to the collection - Rise of Skywalker.  I almost have all the Star Wars steelbook movie releases.  The Penguin will be a fun watch.  I don't have an HBO Max subscription so I need it in physical form.  The animated Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy rounded out my movies.  Three books - The Boys (Ron and Clint Howard), Can You Dig It? and the Dr. J autobiography - are all books I'm excited to read. A Mould King Firebird model.  A Hot Topic gift card which will probably that into a The Lost Boys shirt.   Speaking of, I also got cool AC/DC shirt.  And some baseball and basketball cards.  Again, I'm so blessed and thankful. Santa was good to me.

Into Thin Air

 

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a good book that details events around different teams trying to summit Mount Everest in May, 1996. During the attempts 12 climbers perished.  I found this book very captivating.  I can't imagine even trying such a feat, but people love pushing their limits for the ultimate goal.  I thought the book was very informative and laid out well.  Again, I can't even imagine what all the individuals went through and how agonizing it is just to summit Everest, much less go through the storm and different circumstances they had to endure.  Just a horrible tragedy. 

Jon Krakauer was a journalist invited to go along with one of the expedition.  He subsequently published an article for the magazine he worked for, Outdoor and then wrote this book.  There are those from the expeditions with his account but to be fair so have the other works detailing what happened during that timeframe.  I take it for what it's worth.  It is written from his point of view and I believe he's being honest and is very open about his own shortcomings during the tragedy.  I don't doubt there are inaccuracies but there is nothing written that is 100% correct.  He also addresses this at the end of the book.  I definitely recommend this book.  It is written well and you'll feel like you are at 29,000 feet during the timeframe this occurred.

Star Wars: Thrawn Book Trilogies - The Ascendancy Trilogy and The Imperial Trilogy

Thrawn Ascendancy:  More Star Wars on May the 4th.  I recently finished this trilogy which is actually a prequel to the one below which was released first.  Timothy Zahn is a legendary Star Wars writer including these trilogies and the legends trilogy (non-canon) The Thrawn Trilogy. Thrawn Ascendancy is basically an origin story that shows us Thrawn's rise within the Chiss Ascendancy.  It's a good read and for the most part stays away from the Star Wars universe proper.  There's a lot going on, but it gives you a proper background on Thrawn as well as the events which propel him into the Star Wars world that we know and love.  Those events are a war with outsiders as well as the politics of the Ascendancy.  Bottom line is I liked these books.

Thrawn Imperial Trilogy:  I've seen this trilogy listed as "Imperial Trilogy" as well as Thrawn Trilogy.  In these books we see Thrawn join the Empire and what he becomes to it.  His relationship with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine was complicated of course but his abilities made him indispensable.  This is my favorite of the Thrawn trilogies.  It really shows his immersion into the Empire and gives us more clarity of his role before we see him in Rebels and Ahsoka.  I recommend both of these.  

The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, the Californian and the Night the Titanic Was Lost

The Other Side of Night:  This book is really good.  It details the night from the points of view of the Carpathia and the Californian, and to how their Captains, Arthur Rostron and Stanley Lord, reacted that night.  We've seen the movies and we've seen what happened from the Titanic's point of view many times in print and on the screen.  This was great as it shows us a different perspective.  Arthur Rostron and the crew of the Carpathia are widely praised for their reaction to the Titanic sinking while Stanley Lord and the crew of the California were scorned for their lack of urgency and reaction.  If you have any interest in the subject this is an easy read as you'll want to know what was happening on these other ships and what shaped their responses.  I enjoyed learning more about that as well as what happened when the ships returned to port, the investigation and to what happed in years to come.  This is done from a critical eye from an expertise of the shipping industry, where it was, how ships dealt with emergencies like this and how other ships would normally react.  There's so much taken from the actual accounts from the crew members as well as those travelling aboard the ships.  It gave insight I'd never seen before.  I highly recommend this book.  

Swift Sword by Doyle Glass

Swift Sword: Another book I'd given my pop knowing I'd read it at some point.  He's always stated it was one of the best books he's ever read.   I get why.  The book details a rescue mission by Marines during the Vietnam war that goes horribly wrong.  That said, those Marines involved did a great job in holding off an enemy who vastly outnumbered them, and saved countless lives of the units involved.  Doyle Glass provides a great accounting of the battle and of the individual stories directly from those involved.   It's hard not to get sucked into the story while reading the book.  Rooting for the Marines and feeling heartbreak as instance after instance goes against them.  The many grim details are buoyed by those individual and group efforts that helped save the day from being worse.  I enjoyed talking about the book with pop after I read it.  His excitement about the book is something I don't see a lot.  It is a good read.  I will say look at the maps early.  They are presented later in the book but it really helps keep you oriented as it plays out.  

Monkeewrench Book

Monkeewrench by PJ Tracy is a book I really enjoyed.  I have plenty of reading to catch up on but I wanted something different and read it over a business trip.  Plot: A killer duplicates the killings from a video game which causes the police and game developers to scramble.  I liked it.  I found it an easy read that had good characters, humor, suspense and a plot that moved well.  I'll read more in the series but I'm bad at prioritizing reading.  Still I recommend this one to anyone who thinks it might be something they might like.

Walk in my Boots by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann

Walk in My Boots:  This books collects more modern stories from military folks from across the different branches.  I really enjoyed reading it.  Each story isn't too long and is fairly focused.  It made it an easy read and also draws you in to each story quickly.  Some stories are similar but they don't feel repitive.  You'll also get what folks had to deal with in their circumstances.  Those who share their stories feel very honest and it can pull at your heartstrings.  I highly recommend this to anyone who likes these types of books. 

Tarkin

Tarkin:  This will be a quick one but wanted to throw some thoughts out there on this one.  Tarkin is a good solid book. The story is done well and it gives good insight into Tarkin's background and his rise in the ranks of the Empire.  Set in the early years of the Galactic Empire you'll see other characters you're familiar with as well.  Did we need or want a Tarkin book?  I wonder.  This is a good read but I'm not sure I'd prioritize it over other books.  

The Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys, The True Story by Dean King

The Feud:  I'm not great at reviews so I'll keep this short.  There are plenty of Hatfield and McCoy books out there and you just have to go with your gut when choosing one.  I went with this one after watching the Hatfield & McCoys History channel series with my pop.  This book is 464 pages and is packed with information.  The families and history involved in this feud are very complicated.  I think Dean King did a good job keeping it straight as best you can.  Not that I could keep all the family members straight.  There are so many involved it is crazy.  I'm sure it would be the same with most books chronicling these families.  I took my time reading the book and didn't try to plow through it so it took me maybe a year to finish.  I enjoyed the book and the story it told.  That's what you need to take away this.  I'll look at the TV series in my next post.

The Forgotten 500 (Book)

The Forgotten 500: This book is one I'd given my pop and finally got a chance to read myself.  He really enjoyed the book and so did I.  The story centers around airmen who partook in bombing missions in Europe and on the way back some bombers were hit by anti-aircraft or damaged by German fighters and the flyers would have to bail out.  Many ended up in Yugoslavia.  You'll learn about the amazing plan to rescue these those airmen while also getting the back story on many involved.  The country itself was divided internally by two different factions while trying to resist German occupation.  The Chetniks had fallen out of favor of the Allies but still did everything they could to protect the downed airmen even at the expense of their own.  The Chetniks were led by General Draza Mihailovich. After the war the Allies regretted which side they took as Yugoslavia became a Russian puppet state thanks to the Partisans they had backed.

 The Allied and Yugoslavia politics play a big part of this book but the individual efforts are really what stand out.  Whether it be the villagers and Chetnik fighters who risked everything to harbor and support the men they took in, the men who had to evade capture not knowing how they would get home and the efforts of individuals within the US agencies who ensured these men got home.  This is a good read and definitely a part of World War II history that many probably don't know a lot about. 

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews

 Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews: I'm a big Julie Andrews fan and received this as a gift for which I'm very grateful.  I really enjoyed her first book Home: A Memoir of My Early Years and I was surprised to find I never did a review on it.  I really enjoyed this book just as much as the first.  The first memoir included her youth and her young career through Broadway.  This one picks things up as she starts her Hollywood career.  I'm glad she took two books to cover her life.  I do feel this one seems to move too fast at points but that is me being greedy and just wanting to have more insight into her life and the movies she made.  Her personal life is front and center as well.  She had a large family and like any family had it's issues.  Still she was a good mother through it all while balancing a career and home life.  The ending of the book seemed a bit abrupt as it really does stop when the bulk her movie career was over.  I doubt she is planning a third book but I think there'd be enough to fill one if she wanted to. Bottom line is if you like Julie Andrews you'll enjoy this book.  My favorite Julie Andrews movies are the The Sound of Music, Victor Victoria, and The Princess Diaries.  And did you know...she once showed her breasts in a movie?  Oh yeah...www.google.com...  Those are my random thoughts on this book.

 

13 Hours - The Movie and Book

 

13 Hours is the book by Mitchell Zuckoff and the movie documenting the attacks in Benghazi that killed four Americans including the U.S. ambassador, an information officer and two security contractors.  Both the book and movie do a good job staying away from politics in the account of what happened that night.  Using personal accounts the book does a good job of setting the scene and taking you through what happens from start to finish.  I happened to be in the middle of reading the book when the movie came on TV so I watched it.  As always some liberties are taken but it does a decent job of sticking to what happened.  Just jazzed up a bit as is done with any movie adaption.  I highly suggest both the book and movie.  The book is an easy read and provides plenty of background on the main players as well as details from the attack.  The movie is gripping and does its job of making you want to know what happens next.   I, too, will stay away from the political side of this but do want to highly recommend both of these.

Master & Apprentice - A Star Wars Book

Star Wars Master & Apprentice:  I really enjoyed this book.  So much so that I took a good part of Saturday on the porch to finish it.  Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are favorites of mine from the prequels so I was really looking forward to this book.  It didn't disappoint.  It follows them both on an assignment to a system where a Jedi, a friend of Qui-Gon's, has already been in place for some time.  The dynamics between the two play a big part as does the master-apprentice relationship of our two stars.  I really enjoyed seeing more of what made these two so good together as well as each as individuals.  The ancillary characters in the book do a nice job of rounding things out but these guys are definitely the highlight.  Some groundwork is laid for the prequels as well.  We see some insight into the Jedi Council as well as Dooku that give you food for thought.  This is one of my favorite Star Wars books ever and I'm not even sure if there is a Star Wars book ahead of it.  

Star Wars Aftermath Book Trilogy

The Star Wars The Aftermath book trilogy is set after the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.  The books include, in this order, Aftermath, Life Debt and Empire’s End.  The story starts out following new characters within the Star Wars universe including those from the Rebel Alliance and those from the Empire.  Along the way their journey will bring in characters we all know from Episodes IV-IX.  I enjoyed the new characters who are from across the spectrum of what we know of the Star Wars universe.  Author Chuck Wendig does a good job with the new characters.

The series sets up what we’ve seen with the current Star Wars movie trilogy that will end with the release of The Rise of Skywalker this weekend.  This trilogy was very enjoyable and it was good seeing the events after Return of the Jedi.  Though the Emperor was dead there was still plenty of the Empire left in the galaxy.  These books are canon so we could also see these characters in future books.  

This trilogy is a pretty easy read and fun.  It also isn't required reading for the movies but do provide some nice background.  Star Wars books are almost like a behind the scenes look at characters and the world they live in whether it be their relationships, the government, ideologies or daily life.  Again this is a fun read and I’m on to my next book.  

The Game by Ken Dryden

The Game by Ken Dryden is widely considered the best hockey book of all-time as well as one of the greatest sports books of all time.  I'd seen the book come up over and over on those lists and when the 30th anniversary edition was released I jumped on it.  First and foremost it really is a good book.  I get why it's at the top or near the top of all those lists.  That said Ken Dryden is a mega smart dude and it shows in his writing.  For me while it was a fun read it was a tough read.  He puts a lot of thought into the different situations and those thoughts are put on paper.  I think hockey fans would really enjoy this book but the more casual fan like myself may would like the book but maybe not get the same enjoyment out of it.  Again this book is very well written and I think it deserves all the accolades it gets.  

By the way Ken Dryden is a six-time Stanley Cup Champion as a goaltender for the Montreal Canadians.  He's a member of the Hall of Fame as well as multiple NHL award winner.  His off the ice accomplishments are too numerous to go into but he was just as accomplished in his non-sporting life.  Tonight the 2019-2020 NHL season kicks off what better way to kick off the season that revisiting Brett Hull's rendition of Gloria at the St. Louis Blues' championship parade. 

   

Star Wars Bloodline by Claudia Gray

As always I’ll caveat this with the fact that I’m not good at reviewing books but I do like putting down a few thoughts on books I read.  Star Wars Bloodline centers on Princess Leia and the politics of which she is such a big part.  It is a good book for giving us some behind the scenes of what has happened previously with the government.  This is one of the few canon books I’ve read but intend on catching up.  This book is good.  I enjoyed the political tone and to be honest I thought some of the action/adventure thrown in seemed forced or even over the top but again I think it is a good book. I can’t say there a ton of direct ties from this book to the new movies but there are a few things that carry forward.  There are also some good characters introduced here.  It's a shame we'll probably never see them in the movies though I read one of the characters is seen briefly.  Next I’ll start to tackle the Star Wars Aftermath books.    

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

 The Princess Diarist was the last of Carrie Fisher's books prior to her passing away.  I was excited as it was to be her Star Wars behind the scenes tales.  I wouldn't quite call it that. While it revolves around Star Wars it is not a behind the scenes book.  It talks little about the making of the movies or even what happened during the making of the movies.  She does speak quite frankly and at length about her affair with Harrison Ford while filming Star Wars.   I have to admit I was looking forward to what she had to say on the subject once I heard she'd be opening up on the subject in this book.  And it was fun to hear the details. But that is about it as behind the scenes notes. 

Don't take that to mean this isn't a good book.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and it is an easy read.  It is my first book of hers but I'm sure the style seen here is similar to that in her others.  She is very open, honest, self depreciating, and funny.  I find her honesty refreshing and enlightening.  It is nice to see her thoughts and I think many will either agree with her or understand where she comes from. 

Besides her tryst with Ford, her diaries during the making of Star Wars are also shared and she talks about the celebrity of being "Princess Leia" and the stardom that comes with it.  I would have liked to have seen more behind the scenes content but I won't hold that against the book - that is purely a personal preference and what I thought I'd be seeing.  Her writing style appeals to me and matched with her honest and humor had me hooked.  It won't take long to read once you get started (sans maybe the diaries which are introspective centric writings).  Anyone who is a fan of Star Wars should enjoy this book.  I did and it was nice to get to know Carrie Fisher more than just what I've seen on screen or short articles online.  Like thousands of others she is seared into my consciousness and someone I'll never forget even if you take a way the iconic metal bikini.  I recommend this book to anyone who remotely thinks it would interest them. 

Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company Book

Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company is a 2015 release I finally got around to finishing.  I wish I was better at reviewing books so please bear with me.  This book follows rebel soldiers during their battle with the Galactic Empire.  These are the boots on the ground  who don't get the glory but fight for the tough ground inch by inch.  This looks at their fights, their questions about leadership, questions about the rebellion and why they do what they do.  Along the way you are introduced to a core group who have been there, done that.  They fought all over the galaxy while never knowing how much, if any, difference they are making.  This is not that different from some modern day movies or novels based around the military.  While it isn't a movie it has a Rouge One feel to it.  Not everyone survives nor does every battle go their way.  I liked this book.  It is different than most Star Wars books in how it introduces completely new characters, the likes of which we haven't been introduced to before, and shows us what it looks like in the trenches.  Again it could look like many other military novels but they did a good job here.  Not all 496 pages will knock your socks off but I think it is worth the read. 

  

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel Book Review

I wanted to pick up some NASCAR books for my pop's birthday a few years back and this book kept coming up as I researched the NASCAR books out there.  He really enjoyed it and gave it to me to read. My reading schedule hasn't been great but once I got started it was a book I didn't want to put down.  Mark Bechtel does a great job of describing the events of the 1979 Daytona race and how it catapulted the sport into the public's consciousness. But this book is so much more than that one day.  It provides so much insight into the beginnings of NASCAR as well as the great drivers early on and through the seventies. It also details the 1979 season itself which saw a great race for the championship.  Bechtel lays it all out in an easy-to-read way that provides an abundance of information with humor and insight.  If you at all like NASCAR you must read this book.  You won't be disappointed.   

BOOK: Golden Lion by Wilbur Smith and Giles Kristian

The book Golden Lion by Wilbur Smith and Giles Kristian is not one I'd normally pick up but found myself without a book during a recent trip.  I enjoyed it.  The book is set in the 1600's set against the British fighting in Africa, ships, pirates and much more.  If any of these things are up your alley give this book a try.  I enjoyed it enough that I'll look for more books by Wilbur Smith and Giles Kristian. 

Amazon description: 

He saw his father executed in battle. He spent his youth avenging that death. And now Henry 'Hal' Courtney is a man with a ship – and a family – of his own.  But fate has not finished with Hal. On a voyage along the eastern shore of Africa, a powerful enemy abducts his wife, the fearless warrior Judith… and with her, Hal's unborn child. For Hal, a man all too familiar with loss, there is only one way forward: He must track his nemesis across desert and ocean, through the slave markets of Zanzibar and the dangerous waters of the coast, in pursuit of the woman he loves, the child he sired, and the glorious destiny that awaits him.