Xepherus Reads

Hello, Fellow Book Worms,   There it is. That pile of unread books that still haunt your bookcases. They taunt you, saying that you will never read them. Are they true? Or will you change your ways, and give them their due audience?    In 2016 I plan to be a bit strict with my reading habits. This will include the following: Take seven books that I began and never finished out of my bookcase. Set them next to my bed standing up between bookends on my nightstand. Make sure I have bookmarks paced in the last section I read. If these books have audiobooks, I will download them to my phone for easy access. I will take one book and promise to read at least thirty pages a night. I will take earphones with me in case I can read them traveling or walking. After I am done with the seven books, I will begin the process again.   It is so easy to want to do something, then not do it. We may have valid reasons, or we may have BS reasons. Either way, make the time to read. It is

   Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,   The next book I read in Disney-Lucasfilm's series of young reader selections was Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure. Written by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry with art by Phil Noto, this story takes places between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The book begins with Leia far in the future during the events of the Force Awakens. She is avoiding telling her memoirs to the protocol droid, PZ-4C0. But after relenting, she begins her tale.   Han Solo is in Carbonite taken by the bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Luke has survived his battle with Darth Vader, losing his hand and father's lightsaber. Alliance intel has Lando Calrissian setting off for Tatooine. And Leia is brought into a meeting with Alliance High Command only to discover that Emperor Palpatine has ordered the construction of a new Death Star. Could things get any worse for the Princess of Alderaan? The answer is ...of course!   Mon Moth

Hello, Fellow Book Worms,   As you have seen in my latest reviews I have been on a Star Wars kick that has left me immersed in a galaxy far, far away. Disney-Lucasfilm has done a wonderful job taking their new canon material, and have managed to keep it very tight. Many elements of Lost Stars and Aftermath can be seen on the big screen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And new stories will be appearing between the films, such as next year's Rogue One. This new trilogy of young (adult) reader novels shows us some of what occurred between episodes of the original trilogy.   The new, strong canon is very evident in Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi by Jason Fry with art by Phil Noto and is published by Disney-Lucasfilm press. This book takes elements mentioned and seen in The Force Awakens and elaborates further on them.    The Weapon of a Jedi begins before the events of The Force Awakens with pilot, Jessika Pava, meeting up with C-3PO. Upon hearing that he knew the Jed

Hello, Fellow Book Worms,    I have just finished a novel that not only entertained me, but also made me think about my life and my truths. We are all descendants of storytellers, and are told about life in the days before we are brought into this world. We let our fresh brains absorb the “truths” that we are told. We grow up holding onto our beliefs like a child’s safety blanket. This is because (in my opinion) we fear that deep down the “truth” had a bit more substance than we were led to believe. In the story of Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian we are introduced to a man, Orhan, who has suffered much for his beliefs, and soon uncovers a web of lies that he had based his life on.   Aline Ohanesian’s first novel is a triumphant blend of history and fiction, as she unfolds the story of a family forged from a devastating war in the early part of the Twentieth Century. I have always been one to love researching history, and sometimes I am drawn to a history that some pe

Hello, Fellow Book Worms!   Let me offer you a scenario:   It's the middle of the month, and you are in the worst reading slump of your life. You have no time to physically pick up a novel and read. Your TBR pile is stacked by the side of your bed, taunting you. Then you decide that if you cannot read a book visually, why not try an audiobook? You search for the audio production of the book you wish to read, and start it. But the narrator's voice annoys you. Their speaking is like nails on a chalkboard. You fear you are back to square one. What do you do?   I have been in this very situation many times. However all narrators are not bad. Here is my list of narrators that are, in my opinion, the best at bringing a book to life, with my all-time favorite saved for last: Marc Thompson:  currently narrating several of Del Rey's new Star Wars novels, including Dark Disciple, Aftermath, and A New Dawn. Thompson has a great knack for voices, and

Welcome, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!   If you are like me and love Star Wars, this has been an amazing year for you. I have loved reading the books released in Disney-Lucasfilm's new canon, and I have found the new streamlined canon to be fun and refreshing. New characters are being introduced and peppered throughout the latest materials. Of interest, we have seen these new characters being present at major battles that we know very well from watching the movies.  But what was the story of those men and women in the trenches? Enter Twilight Company, brave squadron and the backbone of much of Rebellion's ground strikes against the Empire.  Star Wars- Battlefront: Twilight Company by Alexander Freed (Star Wars: the Old Republic) excels at bringing to the forefront the struggles of the Rebellion's many ground troops. Set during and after Episode V, it is a war novel with a galactic twist that is a page-turner from the first chapter until the end. It