Kingdom Keepers 4

From GoodReads.com:For the five teens who modeled as Disney Hologram Imaging hosts, life is beginning to settle down when an intriguing video arrives to Philby's computer at school. It's a call for action: the Overtakers, a group of Disney villains, seem to be plotting to attempt a rescue of two of their leaders, both of whom the Disney Imagineers have hidden away somewhere following a violent encounter in Epcot. A staged attack by new Overtakers at Downtown Disney, startles the group.

One of their own, Charlene, is acting strange of late. Has she tired of her role as a Kingdom Keeper or is there something more sinister at play? When caught sneaking into Epcot as her DHI, acting strictly against the group's rules, Finn and Philby take action.
Has the "impossible" occurred? Have the Overtakers created their own holograms? Have they found a way to "jump" from the Virtual Maintenance Network onto the Internet, and if so, what does that mean for the safety of the parks, and the spread and reach of the Overtakers? Are they recruiting an army from outside the parks?
A dark cloud in the Kingdom Keeper era is unfolding, and with dissention in their own ranks, it's unclear if there's any chance of escape. (less)

 

Same as the other 3 but if yhou like the books read it.

Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines

From Goodreads.com:A new era of exciting adventures and shocking revelations continues to unfold, as the legendary Star Wars saga sweeps forward into astonishing new territory.

Civil war looms as the fledgling Galactic Alliance confronts a growing number of rebellious worlds–and the approaching war is tearing the Skywalker and Solo families apart. Han and Leia return to Han’s homeworld, Corellia, the heart of the resistance. Their children, Jacen and Jaina, are soldiers in the Galactic Alliance’s campaign to crush the insurgents. 

Jacen, now a complete master of the Force, has his own plans to bring order to the galaxy. Guided by his Sith mentor, Lumiya, and with Luke’s young son Ben at his side, Jacen embarks on the same path that his grandfather Darth Vader once did. And while Han and Leia watch their only son become a stranger, a secret assassin entangles the couple with a dreaded name from Han’s past: Boba Fett. In the new galactic order, friends and enemies are no longer what they seem…


MY THOUGHTS: I have to admit I enjoyed the old familiar characters being older and working through life.
The way Jacen Solo was written bothered me. He was to narrowed minded and not at all like I expected a Jedi Master to loose control.

If you are a star Wars Fan read it.

The Eye of the World

From Goodreads.com:The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance
What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

This was a very long read...and a slow start...almost quit during the first part since it moved so slow, but about 1/4 into it and it picked up.

I enjoyed this even if it was a bit wordy. High fantasy at it's best!

The Sorcerer's Daughter

The third stand-alone Shannara novel in the Defenders of Shannara series, following The High Druid’s Blade and The Darkling Child, easily accessible to new readers of epic fantasy.

The daughter of a reviled sorcerer, Leofur is nothing like her dreaded father. When her life-partner, Paxon Leah, leaves on a dangerous mission, Leofur protects Paxon’s sister. When she is abducted Leofur is forced to choose between saving Paxon from a mission gone badly awry, or hiring the services of the best tracker in the world to go after her life-partner’s sister.

This was a good stand alone book by Brooks.
His former works for me time and time again.
If you are a fan of his this is a must read

The Tempest

This is one of my favorite plays. Not only of Shakespeare but all plays.

It has Family, Drama, revenge, comedy basically everything.

A must read in my Opinion 

Darth Vader and Friends

Don't know if this really counts as a book or not but I read it anyway. I found the pictures to be wonderful and the inside jokes brought a smile to my face.

I know there are others by this author and look forward to reading those.

A quick must read for all Star Wars fans.

Star Wars; Remnant

To be fair I really did not realize that this is book 14 in a series when I started.

The action parts were nice and the characters seemed true to who I had in my head.

 

Will revisit this once I read more in this line of books that happen before this one.

The Forgotten Carols

This is a fun book!
Even though it is not near Christmas I enjoyed rereading this again.
I have seen the show numerous times and have all the Carols committed to memory.
If you sort of like the show this is a must read!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

From the Book: Set years after Return of the Jedi, this stunning action-packed adventure rockets us back into the world of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2,and Luke Skywalker, while introducing a host of exciting new characters, including Rey, Finn, BB-8 and Kylo Ren.
Darth Vader may have been redeemed and the Emperor vanquished, but peace can be fleeting, and evil does not easily relent. Yet the simple belief in good can still empower ordinary individuals to rise and meet the greatest challenges.
So return to that galaxy far, far away, and prepare yourself for what happens when the Force awakens...
My thoughts: I liked this book overall. Of course it suffered from being written based on the movie, most of these types of books are not as good as the movie, this fell into that trap.
Also since it was based on the movie the plot holes and story problems I had when watching the movie were here and even more pronounced.
But...IT'S STAR WARS!!!!
I had hoped it would add a bit more info into some of the open ended spots I had in the movie but it didn't do a lot of that.
I did listen to this on CD (or MP3) and it was really well done. It had John Williams music from the movie as well as sound effects. Listening to Chewy growl is better than reading Chewy growled.
The speaker (Marc Thompson)was fantastic with his different voices. In fact at first hearing Han Solo talk I thought they had brought in Harrison Ford. In fact I will search out other books he has done just to listen to him and his talent.
This is a must read if you like to read and enjoy Star Wars. In fact I would recommend you do the audio book if you don't mind those. I checked mine out from the local library and then put it on my iphone.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

I really enjoy this book! I know people either love it or hate it, and I can understand that. As I got to the end I thought back on how there was not one sword fight, nor thrilling chase. There was not one part of "action" in the whole book, yet I was smiling and glad I had once more spent time here.
The reason I love this book boils down to it's characters! Percy is one of my favorite hero's.
Don't know if I recommend it or not but I sure enjoyed it and will reread it every couple of years as I have already done 3 times.

Tarzan of the Apes

I first read this some 40 years ago and then again approx. 25 years ago.
I have seen all the movies and read other version, but nothing is like the original. Well ok some are just as good but to think back when this was first written and how long it has survived.
If you have never read the book but think you know the story you owe yourself to read it. (To be totally honest I listened to the audio book on my phone as we shopped and ran errands yesterday. Ben Kingsley voice was so perfect for the story.)

Fablehaven:Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

 I liked the action, except I am getting annoyed by Seth and how no matter what he does it is the perfect answer to the problem even if he did it without thinking.
The new characters are nice additions and the changes or revelations on the standard cast are nice (except Seth, can't stand that brat)
Only other part I have as a complaint about the story is that something's just happen so easy and conveniently get solved. As with other YA fiction the kids appear always smarter than adults, every adult. This might just be a by product of reading so much of it lately.
This is a must read if you are into the series. I look forward to starting the next installment after my next book.

The Paladin Prophecy

From the books description:

Will West is careful to live life under the radar. At his parents' insistence, he's made sure to get mediocre grades and to stay in the middle of the pack on his cross-country team. Then Will slips up, accidentally scoring off the charts on a nationwide exam.

Now Will is being courted by an exclusive prep school . . . and is being followed by men driving black sedans. When Will suddenly loses his parents, he must flee to the school. There he begins to explore all that he's capable of--physical and mental feats that should be impossible--and learns that his abilities are connected to a struggle between titanic forces that has lasted for millennia.

 

 

MY THOUGHTS:I enjoyed this book. It took me a bit to get into the ideas behind it and put aside my constant "Yeah, that is really convenient" as certain things as they happened.
But when all is said and done I enjoyed just as much as some of the comic book hero movies I watch.
The main problem I still have with this book is one that happens in a lot of Youth fiction, that of how stupid the writer makes the adults in the story.
I find it hard to believe that a group of 15 year olds are so much smarter and more cunning than adults, even the evil minded adults, but at the end of the book I became ok with it. Wish the author would have made at least one adult be able to see what was going on and help, or not.
How a new kid at a school can within days root out a evil that has been there for years and not one other adult or student has a clue, even the adults that are suppose to be on the kids side. Oh well, suspend the area of disbelief just a bit more than I usually do and I am ok
All in all I will move on to book 2 with happy smile on my face.

Treasure Island

Considering that I never read this until I was 57 years old...what a treat!
This is the basis for so many of our accepted ideas on what a pirate is and how they should act.
Also the perfect picture of the anti villain.
Loved this book.
So many accepted pirate stereo types started here.
There is a reason that great characters and their stories last through the generations and more.
This is one of those classic books.

Man of La Mancha

I love this play and re-reading the words every few years is great. There is so much power and deep meaning in some of Don Quixote monologues is just as meaningful today maybe in some ways more meaningful than back in 1965 when the play first was shown.
This play is Miguel Cervantes' classic novel "Don Quixote" that was written over 300 years ago. " The story of a poor country squire who loves to read about the days of chivalry, knight-errants doing battle on behalf of their 'lady fair' and the evil they face. This takes the highlights of Cervantes' story and brings it to life in a musical. The only thing missing here is the actual music itself, but all the  lyrics and on-stage dialogue is present.

This was made into a movie but this book follows the play not the movie script which differs slightly.
A must read if you enjoyed the play.
Don't know how many people enjoy reading plays but to me it is a sweet experience, especially with one so full of beauty a this one. 

The Darkling Child

This was a very nice read. I have read all of the authors books and have seen as others have that Mr. Brooks has a set style and format that works well.
This book changed that up a bit. I have to admit I did not expect the ending to be what it was, and that is a good thing.
This book is part 2 of a trilogy but seems to be abler to stand on its own if need be.
Once more the Wishsong is the center of the story and it is nice to visit it with some items sounding familiar (from other books) and new parts of it revealed.

 

I have a few minor items that made me go HUH but they are very minor.

One that I will mention is for some reason I have no idea how the title fits the story...
If you Love to visit Shannarra then this is a must read.