Xepherus Reads

Hello, Fellow Book Worms, It's Tuesday, that means Tuesday Talks! Janie and Janelle's awesome Book Club on Goodreads asks questions of the book community every week. This week's question: What new releases you are looking forward to?  I am looking forward to a few new releases this year. Among them (click on the pic to order) are:   Stephen King closes his Bill Hodges Trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers in his newest novel due out on June 7, 2016!  Kerri Wilkinson ends his Silver Blackthorn Trilogy this year with Resurgence. This dystopian science fiction story ended with a cliffhanger in book two, Renegade. This will be end my wondering as to how the evil King Victor will be dealt with as Silver Blackthorn gets ready to end his reign!  Due out May 31, 2016. Last year's Fallout by Gwenda Bond introduced a sixteen year old Lois Lane to readers worldwide. As tenac...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Star Wars Fans,   Disney-Lucasfilm and Del Rey continue to answer some questions left unanswered from Star Wars: The Force Awakens in their new canon books. The Perfect Weapon by Delilah S. Dawson is no exception, as we are re-introduced to galactic spy, Bazine Netal. Some spoilers ahead.   If you remember in the Force Awakens, Bazine was the woman who reported that BB-8 and his companions were at Maz Kanata's palace to the First Order. In the Perfect Weapon we are introduced to much of her past. Bazine is a spy working for the highest payer, and this time she has taken on a new assignment. When we first see Bazine, she can be found on the desert world of Chaaktil, taking care of problem customers at a bar. She soon is entered in to a meeting with a shadowy cloaked figure with a synthesized voice. The figure appears via a hologram message from an old protocol droid. The figure asks her to travel to an old hospital in the Outer Rim wh...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms!   As many of you know I love to participate on Goodreads. Just recently I was introduced, via the YouTube channel of Janie Johnson, to a group called Tuesday Talks. It is moderated by Janie and her book pal, Janelle, and asks questions of the book community in the hopes of creating conversation and uniting the book community. And I thank Janie and Janelle for this. Onward to the question! What Challenges Do You Hope to Participate In? My 2015/2016 Reading Challenge: Last year I discovered the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. I started out on August and managed to get 18 books in before December 31th. Prior to that 18th book I decided to add a few books to the list, and reorganize the list. In my list there are 55 books and an extras category that culminates into how many books I have read. It is featured on this blog, so if you wish to try it, please do. I update it every time I read a book. The link will be below. Tuesday Talks W...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms,   I love subscription boxes and I love books. What better way to celebrate the two then to subscribe to a monthly book service! OwlCrate has been reviewed many times in the book community, and I have never heard anything but awesome feedback. I decided to join the many readers loving this service starting this month.   Upon joining I was given a discount of 10% for my first order for being a new member. The box was about $32 (this includes shipping). I was also entered into a referral program that allows subscribers to earn free boxes by getting friends to subscribe . So far I was off to a great start. This month's theme is MAGIC   The box was large and very sturdy, with a lot of packing tape sealing it, which I appreciated. Sometimes subscription boxes do not sufficiently seal their boxes, which can sometime lead to damage. Upon opening it I was greeted by a tarot card with an owl on it announcing the box's theme and its conten...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Star Wars Fans!   Welcome to another Star Wars book review. No, I cannot help myself; I am obsessed lately with Star Wars. This time around I read the novelization of a little movie out now called The Force Awakens.    Based on the original shooting script, this adaptation features scenes that were eliminated from the film's final theatrical cut. It has been said by sources that the Force Awakens originally had a running time of over two and a half hours. Last minute decisions reduced the film to the current two hours and fifteen minutes that is in theaters now. Although the cuts were small, they did offer more insight into the film's story. Please be warned that spoilers will occur in this review.   The Force Awakens occurs thirty years after the Battle of Endor, as depicted in Return of the Jedi. It sees tough times in the galaxy far, far away. The Empire is gone, and the Rebellion is now the New Republic. But this pol...

Here is my Reading Challenge that began August 2015 and ends August 2016.  Have fun with it. And feel free to use my list as a guide! I will update this list every time I finish a book. If a book that I read does not fit any of the 55 categories, I will list it as an extra below the list. Extra books will be added to the “read” count. Books Read : Challenge Books Read (20/55) Extra Books Read () Total Books Read: (20)                                                                Updated 01/08/2016 Currently reading: 1 Book (8 on my to be read list) A book with more than 500 pages: Doctor Sleep (The Shining 2)- Stephen King A classic romance: This Rough Magic- Mary Stewart A book that became (to become) a movie: The Martian- Andy Weir A book published in 2015: Girl on a Train- Paula ...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms!   Let me tell you a story... Of three witches: a mother, her daughter, and her granddaughter. They possessed a great magick that was wanted by the King. But they fought bravely to protect the magick, until only one of the three stood defiant. And the woods sprung up from the ground and consumed the kingdom, even destroying the royal castle! And the magick lived from generation to generation, handed down the bloodline....   Yes, I am back with another book review! I seem to be on reading a lot lately, which is more than I can say for 2015. And this year I promised myself that I would read from different genres and age-ranges. My first entry into the world of younger fiction this year is the Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill, published by Algonquin Young Readers.    Set in an enchanting world of witches, kings, queens, and magical beings, this book begins with a tragedy. Two brothers embark on a rafting trip. Their raft is han...