What Books Are You Reading?

[Kordmalgemar]

I'm reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Not as good as Neverwhere, but it's better than Stardust. I think the main problem with it for me is that it feels a little gimmicky at times; the main staple of the novel tends to be in your face every two seconds. It's a good main staple... it just kind of makes everything feel... predictable.

Still though, good stuff.

[Talon Karrde]

Been a bit of a busy reader over the past two months. I started off with Exile's Honor by Meercedes Lackey. This is yet another tale of Valdemar. This one features Weaponsmaster Alberich and explains how he came to be a Herald and how Selenay became Queen of Valdemar.

After that, I read Star Wars: The Cestus Deception by Steven Barnes. This is a Clone Wars novel. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto travel to Ord Cestus to stop the sale of a new force-sensitive droid to the Separatists...by any means necessary. Attached to this paperback is a story once only available in ebook format entitled The Hive. It takes place somewhere in the middle of The Cestus Deception novel and follows Obi-wan Kenobi as he aides the X'Ting in recovering the eggs of X-Ting royalty.

Then, I read a manga sent to me by TOKYOPOP called Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives. This manga is based on a series of a Vampire Kisses, a teen novel series by Ellen Schreiber.

Now, I'm reading a book I just got for my birthday - The Bad Guys Won! by Jeff Pearlman. It's all about the 1986 World Series New York Mets - how they came to be, the rabble-rousers that they were, the scandals, and more.

And of course, in between all that were a couple of trade paperbacks.

[Talon Karrde]

Wow, sorry I haven't posted here in a while. Yikes, it's been a long time! Anyways, I've read quite a bit since that Mets book.

I read Star Wars: Betrayal, the first novel in the Legacy of the Force series that takes place after the Dark Nest Trilogy. Looks like history is about to repeat itself as a Skywalker descendant begins their path toward the dark side. The book also contained two short stories that take place early in Darth Vader's reign of terror which helped the reader parallel what is happening to the character in Betrayal.

I re-read Mind Fields by Brad Aiken, a science fiction novel about a scientific breakthrough in medicine that a faction of the government wants to use in a very unscrupulous way. For those fans of the nanobots in Delphinos' BOP stories, this is an interesting read. I originally received an unedited version of the novel for which I wrote a blurb that now appears on the back of the published novel - cool, huh?

I read quite a few trade paperbacks including Green Arrow/Black Canary: For Better or For Worse, which chronicles the love affair of Green Arrow and Black Canary from inception to present; Batman: The Long Halloween, a Batman series that spanned many a holiday starting with Halloween and explained the transition of Harvey Dent into Two-Face; and The Huntress: Darknight Daughter, which looks at the Huntress from Earth 2, daughter of Batman and Catwoman and heroine of Gotham - a must read for BOP television fans!

Now, I'm reading Crypto-Critters, a collection of tales based on the controversial world of cryptozoology, the study of creatures that have not been proven to, but are believed to exist. So far, it's rather interesting. I'm fairly certain that anyone who enjoys reading tales about the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, el chupacabra, Tahoe Tessie, Yetti and other such creatures will enjoy this book.

[Talon Karrde]

Oh my God! I've read so much since I last posted here! I can't believe this! Sorry folks! Hmm, let's see...

Read the Batman: Hush series - that was pretty good. Liked the mystery leading up to the end. Don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it.

Also read the Batman: Knightfall series - that was not so good. I expected more from this series. The events that take place help to make Batman the crime fighter he is today, so I really expected alot from this series and was totally disappointed.

The Dead Walk Again! - an anthology of zombie tales from Padwolf Publishing. This book was really cool. You didn't just get a bunch of zombie survival tales. There were also stories that told things from the zombie's point of view - how often do you see that?! This one is worth the read if you're a zombie fan.

My House by Nikki Giovanni - A collection of poetry written by the Grammy-nominated, African American activist and author. If you're into spoken word style, this book is definitely for you.

A Marriage of Insects by Bard Bloom - A fantasy novel based on The World Tree role playing game featuring magic wielding animals such as crickets, raccoons, dragons, otters, panthers and more. Sounds silly and took me about thirty pages to finally get into the book, but after those thirty pages you start to realize that this book is definitely for adults. :flirt: This is not your everyday role playing adventure. And there's actually quite alot of humor in it.

Star Wars Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: Volume 2 - This is the second collection of comics from the X-wing Rogue Squadron series. It features some really interesting storylines, including Battleground Tatooine where we discover what truly happened to Jabba's right-hand man, Warrior Princess in which we learn that one of the Rogues is actually the long lost Princess of a planet in turmoil, and Requiem for a Rogue in which Rogue Squadron suffers some of its most devastating losses to date.

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines by Karen Traviss - Attention all you Boba Fett fans out there - your favorite Mandalorian armored bounty hunter is back! After discovering he doesn't have much longer to live, Boba Fett is set on accomplishing two things - learning how to conquer this disease he is suffering from and finding his long lost daughter. Did you know he had a daughter?! I didn't until I read this book. Meanwhile, the world is in turmoil as the Galactic Empire and Corellia come ever closer to war and Jacen Solo grows closer to becoming a Sith Lord. Very well done novel. Couldn't put it down until the last word was read.

Dark Hunger by Christine Feehan - a manga about a Carpathian vampire hunter who falls in love with a Jaguar shape shifter. Saw this manga on sale for only $2, realized it was by one of the leading vampire authors and thought it was worth the read. A tad melodramatic in certain areas and it is pretty much written for teens, which means it was cleaner than I would have liked :flirt: , but all-in-all it wasn't a bad read.

Now I'm reading 1st to Die by James Patterson - This is a Women's Murder Club book - yes, there were books before the television show. So far, this has proven to be a very fast read. I had read James Patterson novels before, so I am used to his three-page-chapter style, but I'm finding this book very compelling and hard to put down.

Sorry it took so long to post here! I promise that as soon as I finish 1st to Die, I'll post the next book I'm reading. I love sharing book ideas with you, so please, keep posting!

[Talon Karrde]

Well, as you can see, I've been fairly busy in the reading department. Here goes:

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Tempest - This novel by Troy Denning is the third installment in the Legacy of the Force Series. In this novel, we find Han and Leia have been tricked into becoming a distraction for the Hapan Queen while Corellian agents and power-hungry Hapans attempt to assassinate her. Plot twists and turns abound in this novel. Fans of Aurra Sing and Tenel Ka will be happy to see that they both have large parts in Tempest. I loved it - quick read and plenty of action.

Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter - Picking up where Blood and Circuits left off, the latest Birds of Prey.. trade paperback, Dead of Winter, finds out heroines in a tight spot. Oracle is now forced to work with Spy Smasher and that means she has to put her team in the Spy Smasher’s ruthless hands. Their mission finds them in Azerbaijani, searching for a new, powerfully destructive technology…a technology that, if put to use by the wrong faction, could prove disastrous for the United States. At first, I frowned at the size of the trade paperback - it was rather small. but once I got into it, I realized that the action and the storyline made up for the size of the volume. For once, size did not matter! :laugh:

V: The Second Generation - This novel by Kenneth Johnson (creator of the original miniseries) takes place where the original V left off. If you are a fan of this sci-fi great, you must cast aside all knowledge of events that take place in the Final Battle, the series and the subsequent novels. This is Kenneth Johnson's vision of the direction this series was supposed to take. I have to say, that even though I was thrown by the fact that all things that took place after the original series were ignored - no Ham Tyler, no red dust, no Nathan Bates, etc - I still loved the novel. It was a terrific read and a great ending to the series...or is it a new beginning...

Nightwing: Renegade - Dick Grayson had grown up as Batman’s sidekick Robin. He had come of his own as Nightwing... Now, after a year filled with crises and life-altering events, Dick Grayson has taken on a new identity – he has become Renegade. Working for the notorious criminal, Deathstroke.., Dick Grayson seeks to right all of his past wrongs from the inside out. Believing that he can successfully manipulate Bludhaven’s key underground players by becoming one of them, Renegade takes Deathstroke’s daughter Ravager under his wing. But can Renegade be ruthless enough to play with Bludhaven’s ultimate bad guys without revealing his heroic side? I found this trade paperback to be interesting - not over the top terrific, but interesting enough. Especially the ending.

Batman: Bruce Wayne: Fugitive - OKay, I can hear all of you diehard Batman fans gazing incredulously at the screen. How could I have not read this series? Simple - no money, Honey! This series spanned to many comics for me to have read them all. I had to wait until they were compiled into trade paperback, and even then, I wouldn't read them until Srf decided that she wanted them. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the series, so I guess that's a good thing.

Crypto-Critters II - Crypto-Critters II, is a second volume of stories revolving around cryptozoology... Once again, Bruce Gehweiler was tapped to edit this volume. Selected for submission in this volume of Crypto-Critters are works from C.J. Henderson, Bruce Gehweiler.., James Chambers, Edmund R. Schubert, Patrick Thomas, Jeffrey Thomas, John Sunseri, Diane Raetz, Scott Thomas, and Graham Watkins. Quite a few good stories in here, though I could have done without the numerous Blakely and Boles tales...and the plentiful typos. Yikes, who edits this book!

How to Talk to a Yankee Fan - This book by Andy Wasif and Rick D'Elia is a tongue in cheek tutorial of how to co-exist with Yankee fans. My brother bought it for me shortly after moving in with Srf. Gotta say, this one had me cracking up every few pages! Great for a few laughs...that is, unless you are a Yankee fan. If so, skip this read.

I've just started reading Exile by Aaron Allston, the fourth installment of the Star Warss: Legacy of the Force Series. Will let you know what I think of it soon.

[Talon Karrde]

Been a while! Since I last posted I have read the following:

X-Men: The Ultimate Guide - a comprehensive visual and informational guide to the X-Men.

Star Wars: Episode I: The Visual Dictionary - a comprehensive visual and informational guide to Phantom Menace.

The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver- The team of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back at it. This time around, the serial killer is extremely careful, leaving little or no trace at the scenes of his murders. The killer seems to be picking his victims at random, leaving very distinctively made clocks at the scene of each murder. Complicating matters is the mood of the city after the events of 9/11 and Amelia Sachs’ recent promotion to detective. As a new detective in homicide, Sachs has been awarded her very first case. Discovering that her case may involve dirty cops, she has no desire to relinquish it. Thus, she finds herself splitting her attention between her own case and that of the serial killer she and Lincoln Rhyme have been asked to solve. This was a terrific read. I was totally entranced by Deaver from beginning to end. The ending was a bit surprising - I won't ruin it, but any fan of the Lincoln Rhyme series will be shocked by this ending.

What I Learned From Jackie Robinson by Carl Erskine - This is a book about Jackie Robinson by a fellow Dodger teammate. In this book, Erskine doesn't just tell the story of his experience playing on the same team as Jackie Robinson. He also discusses what he learned from Jackie's struggle. Erskine's son was born with Down Syndrome and watching Jackie's fight to be considered an equal inspired Erskine to fight for equal rights for his own son. Short and quick read. Great for any Brooklyn Dodgers fan.

Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Princess - a comprehensive look at all things Wonder Woman. Now I know a bit more about the characters used in Yank's fanfics.

Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares - This is the third installment of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. The girls have just graduated high school and are about to undergo some changes that cause them to wonder if their friendship will survive another summer.

Crystal Doors by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson - Two teenage cousins are in for one amazing adventure when they unwittingly open a door to another world. Little do they know that this new world holds key information about their pasts. Really fast read. It's a young adults novel, but the fantasy elements are enjoyable at any age.

So some informational and light reading mixed in with some really juicy stuff and a few trade paperbacks in there. Now I'm reading two books at once. Star Wars Jedi Trials by David Sherman and Can Cragg is a Clone Wars novel featuring Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Neeja Halcyon. I'm also reading Wicked thanks to the glowing review by Dark. I have to agree with you Dark - this is one terrific read. I have alot of trouble putting the book down.

[Talon Karrde]

Well, another couple of months have gone by and I've been reading a ton:

Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares - I simply had to finish the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series before the second movie came out!

Star Wars: Jedi Trials by David Sherman and Dan Cragg - one of the more militaristic novels in the Clone Wars series featuring Anakin Skywalker coming into his own as a leader of armies and Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon.

Crystal Doors: Book II: Ocean Realm by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson - In the second book of the series, teenage cousins Gwen and Vic Pierce find themselves fighting the evil sorcerer Azric and his minions in the underwater Merlon realm.

Exile's Valor by Mercedes Lackey - The sequel to Exile's Honor that focuses on Herald and Weaponsmaster Alberich and his part in the early days of Queen Selenay's reign in Valdemar. I am hopelessly addicted to this series thanks to SamIAm.

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice by Karen Traviss - This is the fifth book in the Legacy of the Force series and, for me, the most tragic. Although I love Karen Traviss' writing, the insight she offers into the history of Boba Fett and his fellow Mandalorians and the way she handles Jacen Solo's transformation, I was saddened to discover that my favorite Star Wars character was to meet their end in this novel. I do have to say, Traviss' handled it well, but I was sorry to see that character go. Hopefully, Bantam Books will publish more backstory novels and I'll get to enjoy that character in some never before told tales.

Yup, this past month was pretty heavily steeped in fantasy, but I promise that the next couple of months will have an assortment of history, mystery and more. :laugh: I just love to read!

[Talon Karrde]

Well, another month and a half has passed and I've been absorbing books very quickly...I think I'll create a new metahuman...perhaps LibraryGirl or...was there a superhero called the Bookworm? Anyways, here's what I've been reading:

Crystal Doors: Book III: Sky Realm by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson - The third book in the Crystal Doors series. This time around, our heroes travel to the floating city of Irrakesh. Sharif has been summoned back here by his father who is quite ill. The reason behind his illness will soon be revealed as Sharif and his friends learn that Azric is not yet done with the floating city. Although this series of novels can be found in the young adults section, I would recommend it to any fantasy/sci-fi book lover. Hopefully, the authors will change their minds about this series being a trilogy and create more adventures.

Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof - A true account of the 1919 Black Sox scandal and its aftermath. This was a very interesting read. Sad to see that the people most responsible for the scandal never saw a day in jail, while the ballplayers involved were forced to leave baseball forever. This scandal marked the emergence of the Baseball Commissioner, so this is one piece of baseball history you will probably want to check out.

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Inferno by Troy Denning - The sixth book in the Legacy of the Force series takes place shortly after the death of my favorite Star Wars Expanded Universe character. Little by little, Jacen Solo begins to reveal his Sith alterego and the Jedi have to decide just how they are going to deal with their wayward son. Very fast and enjoyable read. Can't wait to get to the next novel in the series.

Star Wars: Jedi Quest: The Shadow Trap by Jude Watson - a young adult novel featuring Anakin Skywalker as a teenage padawan. Events in the book take place between Episodes I and II and reveal some information as to the disappearance of one of the members of the Jedi Council between those two films. An entertaining and amazingly fast read.

More Twisted by Jeffery Deaver - Yes, all you Jeffery Deaver fans out there, there is a new compilation of suspensful short stories out there from our favorite suspense novelist. And this one is just as good as the first, with enough twists and turns to knock your socks off!


In between all of these good boooks, I've been reading quite a few magazines and a trade paperback of romantic proportions - Green Arrow/Black Canary: Road to the Altar - and one of dramatic proportions - Birds of Prey: Metropolis or Bust.

And now, I'm reading The Death and Life of Superman - a novelization of one of the most famous storylines about the Man of Steel.

[Talon Karrde]

Been reading like crazy as usual!

Finished off The Death and Life of Superman by Roger Stern. That was a terrific read. I was totally engrossed in the novelization of the comic book storyline in which Superman as killed and resurrected.

From there, it was on to the seventh book in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series, Fury by Aaron Allston. This series is somewhat predictable, but captivating all the same. Fans of Aaron Allston's X-Wing novels will love this book.

Next, I decided to reread an old classic, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I read it in school, but in my opinion, you appreciate the classics more when you read them later in life. I'm surprised at how much of the novel I still remembered. What a terrific story!

After that, I wanted to check out a sci-fi book, so it was on to War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. This book is a collection of stories from various writers giving their take on the reactions of numerous famous people in history had the Martians really invaded Earth as in the tale by H.G. Wells. This one came as a complete surprise. I had purchased the book as part of a set of scifi books solely for the purpose of acquiring some Star Wars novels for my collection. Each book was $1.00 - nice price for such an enjoyable read.

Back to Star Wars again - I just finished reading Revelation by Karen Traviss, the eighth and next to last book in the Legacy of the Force series. That was a very entertaining read. Karen Traviss has become the expert on Mandalorian culture and it was nice to see a more human side to Boba Fett than fans are used to. This book is full of surprises - they don't call it Revelation for nothing, folks!

Now, I'm reading Son of a Witch, the sequel to Wicked, a novel I thoroughly enjoyed. So far, I'm 70-plus pages in and loving every minute of it.

[Talon Karrde]

Well, a month has gone by - a month of devouring reading materials. ;D

Loved Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. The sequel to Wicked follows the travels of Liir, a young man believed to be the son of Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West. In Wicked, Liir was pretty wishy-washy, but in this novel, Liir comes into his own, realizing that everything he had been rebelling against in his life was all that is worth living for.

Received Green Arrow/Black Canary: The Wedding Album for Christmas and quickly breezed through that. This graphic novel really changes things for the lovebirds and I recommend it to any Black Canary or Green Arrow fan.

Couldn't wait to read Chasers by Lorenzo Carcaterra, sequel to his suspense novel Apaches. For those of you who are not aquainted with Carcaterra's work, he's the author of the autobiographical works Sleepers (which was made into a film starring Brad Pitt) and A Safe Place. He also has written for Law & Order. Carcaterra seems to have a nack for suspense novels as well. Apaches was about a group of cops, forced to retire due to injuries on the job, who just can't seem to walk away from "the job". Chasers brings these guys back for another case, one with very personal connotations.

Finally read Invincible, the final novel in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series. Wow, what a jaw dropper this series was and Invincible by Troy Denning is no exception. I won't print any spoilers for those who haven't gotten to this series, but suffice it to say that this series has set the Star Wars Universe on its ear!

Now I'm reading The Ship Avenged by S.M. Sterling. I wasn't sure about this science fiction novel. I received it a long time ago when I purchased 20 scifi novels for $20, but never got a chance to read it. It's part of a series, so I'm not sure whether I'll get lost, not having read the rest of the series. But so far, it's not bad. Read 30 pages of it already and I just started it. We'll see.

[Talon Karrde]

Since I last posted, I've read a helluvalot:

Birds of Prey: Club Kids - I was not enthused by this trade paperback in the least. This was quite possibly the worst one in the series.

The Ship Avenged by S.M. Sterling - Surprisingly, even though I entered the novel series smack dab in the middle, I wasn't lost and I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.

Jumper by Steven Gould - The novel upon which the movie starring Hayden Christensen was based on. And yes, the novel was much, much better!

Star Wars: The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster - A Clone Wars novel starring Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Luminara Undili and Barriss Offee. This novel gives us an idea of the numerous underhanded tricks played to drag planetary systems into the Separatist Party as well as some insight into the actions of Anakin Skywalker in later years.

Dewey: The Small-Town Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myer and Bret Witter - A heartwarming story about a cat rescued by the folks at the Spencer Public Library who turned out to be an inspiration for the whole town. I recommend this book to any cat lover out there. Dewey was, no doubt, a very special cat with an amazing soul.

Kiss Daddy Goodnight: Ten Years Later by Louise Armstrong - A collection of true accounts of incest and insights by Louise Armstrong, feminist and incest survivor.

Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey - Yet another tale of the kingdom of Valdemar, this one the kind legends are made of. Never one to shy away from topics in the news, this novel deals with the pains incurred by and the consequences of bullying.

Still a Kid at Heart by Gary Carter and Phil Pepe - The story of Gary Carter's baseball career and his life after retirement from life as a baseball player. Has its good points and bad points, the bad points being a lot of whining over not being made a major league manager.

Infinite Crisis by Greg Cox - A novelization of the events that take place in the Infinite Crisis comic book series. With all that went on during the Crisis, things could have been rather confusing, but Greg Cox made things amazingly understandable. A fine novelization.

I am currently reading Star Wars: Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover - A Clone Wars novel featuring Mace Windu and Depa Billaba written in a Heart of Darkness style.

[Talon Karrde]

Since I last posted, I've read quite a few books:

TheReader by Bernhardt Schlink - the German novel recently adapted into a movie starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. This was a great read - fast and thoroughly absorbing.

100 Things Mets Fan Should Know and Do Before They Die by Matthew Silverman - A dull read at the beginning as I already knew much of the information, but things got interesting as we delved into things I never knew about the New York Mets.

All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat by Suzy Becker - A fun little book filled with comedic wisdom supplied by a cat named Binky.

Star Wars: The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster - A Clone Wars novel starring Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Luminara Undili and Barriss Offee. This novel gives us an idea of the numerous underhanded tricks played to drag planetary systems into the Separatist Party as well as some insight into the actions of Anakin Skywalker in later years.

Star Wars: Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn - This novel is an in depth look at the Jedi expedition that takes place before the Clone Wars. Mentioned in the Thrawn Trilogy, Outbound Flight vanished on an expedition into the Unknown Regions, believed to have been destroyed by Thrawn in his early military years. This was an incrediby fast read. I love Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novels and this one was no exception. Good to see him bring back some of his earlier Star Wars created characters such as Thrawn and Car'das.

Cucial Conversations - A book I was asked to read for a communications class at work. Very useful in work situations and equally useful in daily activities.

Huntress: Year One - A DC Comics trade paperback delving deeper into the beginnings of Huntress.

The DC Comics Encyclopedia - Yes, it took me a long time, but I read the whole thing...so long in fact that they have come out with a new edition!

The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver - The eighth novel in the Lincoln Rhyme series and quite possibly the scariest thriller he has written as it deals with identity theft and the Big Brother theory now becoming a reality.

The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton - A book about an author and photographer who settles down in Wyoming and finds herself raising a coyote from pup to adulthood. Terrific read - fast and well-written true story with a plethora of beautiful photos chronicling events in the story. This isn't just a book about raising a wild animal, its about growth and self-discovery.

I'm now beginning Forever Free, sequel to the Joe Haldeman novel The Forever War that I loved so much.

[Talon Karrde]

Since I last posted, I've read:

Forever Free by Joe Haldeman - This is the sequel to the rather insightful 1970s sci-fi novel set in the future. The forever war is long over, but the soldiers who fought the war have begun to feel rather restricted under the new regime. But as the survivors spread their wings, they soon discover that not everything is what it seems. Excellent sequel - Haldeman writes characters in a way that you relate to them extremely well and find yourself completely invested in their outcome.

Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice by John Jackson Miller - The latest ebook that travels back in time to explain the existence of the Sith clan discovered in the Legacy of the Force novel series. Rather interesting beginning to a nine-part series.

Star Wars: Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine by Voronica Whitney-Robinson with Haden Blackman
- an interesting adventure set during the original trilogy, based upon the Star Wars: Galaxies online role playing game and featuring some of our favorite Star Wars Original Trilogy heroes and villains.

I just recently finished reading Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover (yeah, I'm a little behind in my Star Wars novels) and have just begun reading A Lion Among Men, the third novel in the Wicked series.

[Talon Karrde]

Since I last posted, I've read:

Clemente by David Maraniss - A rather engrossing look at the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player and humanitarian cut down in his prime.

Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice by John Jackson Miller - The sequel to Precipice about a lost tribe of Sith.

A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire - the third part of the Wicked Years Trilogy featuring the story of the Cowardly Lion.

Jumper: Griffin's Story by Steven Gould - A jumper novel featuring the backstory of Griffin, a character we meet in the movie adaptation of Jumper.

star Wars: Millennium Falcon by James Luceno - a new adventure for Han and Leia and their granddaughter Alana that has them researching the history of my favorite Star Wars ship.

A Lion called Christian by Anthony Bourke and John Rendal - the heartwarming story of two Australians and how they purchased a lion cub in Harrod's Department Store, raised him, returned him to the wild and revisited him years later. This is the story behind the much viewed YouTube video of the lion/former owners reunion.

Star Wars: Yoda: Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart - a Clone Wars novel set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, featuring a reunion between Yoda and his former student, Count Dooku, on a planet steeped in the Dark Side.

I'm currently engrossed in The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson which chronicles the period of time just before the destruction of Superman's homeworld. I'm enjoying learning the backstories of Superman's mother and father and Zod and his cronies. Very intriguing thus far.

Well, back to reading!

[Talon Karrde]

Since I last posted, I've read:

The PsychoKitty Speaks Out by Max Thompson - A hillarious look at life through a cat's eyes.

Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover - A filler novel that takes place shortly the events in Return of the Jedi - a Star Wars novel you can afford to skip.

First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung - The haunting true story of a young girl's struggle to survive during the Khmer Rouge uprising in Cambodia. A tale of survival and hope.

The Encyclopedia of North American Animals by Bryan Richard - Yes, I am that geek who loves to read about the huge variety of animal species that live on the North American continent.

I'm currently in the midst of reading two books - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Eigthy is Not Enough by Dick Van Patten.