Star Wars #26 - #30

Goodreads Says:    With one of our rebel crew captured and imprisoned…we turn once more to the journals of Ben Kenobi…and a legendary adventure of Jedi Master…Yoda!
















My Thoughts:

-    I'm excited for the new story, especially one that focuses on a different character.

-    I really like Salvador Larroca's illustrations. I'm glad they used him again. 

-    I love that Qui-Gon Jinn and young Obi-Wan made an appearance.

-    I never thought of Yoda as an amazing pilot, but I guess it makes sense that he would be able to fly. 

-    This was a very interesting and intriguing issue. I'm excited to read more.


From Goodreads:    Master Yoda finds himself on an all-new world…full of vicious, mysteriously powered children?! Not easy, will this be.
















My Thoughts:

-    The planet Yoda has landed on is weird and way different from anything I've seen in the Star Wars universe.

-    The weapons on this new planet look like the ancient weapons in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

-    I like that this is a story being read by Luke and told by Obi-Wan.


Goodreads:   Master Yoda finds himself overpowered and captured! Imprisoned within the caves, the master must become a student once more. Plus…Ben and Luke feel the ripples of the Jedi Master's tale!















My Thoughts:

-    I wonder why they added this story to the Star Wars comics instead of doing a separate Yoda series. 

-    I love the cover on this issue!

-    I always like seeing pieces of Obi-Wan's life. He really needs his own series. 

-    I love all of Yoda's qualities.




My Thoughts:

-    Does the guy on the cover look like Apocalypse to anyone else? Yoda fighting Apocalypse, that is something I'd love to see.

-    Gah! This is one of the worst cliffhangers!! I need to know the end of Yoda's story and what happens to Luke!! 


From Goodreads:    It seems a battle from Yoda's past has come to Luke's present! Luke has stumbled upon the last native on the planet…and the stonepower is strong with this one!
















My Thoughts:

-    This was a very uneventful ending to this story.

-    Not a lot happened in this issue.

-    The best panels were at the end. It was cool to see Yoda on Dagobah. 

-    I'm excited to read the next few issues. They are a Doctor Aphra cross over. 

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

Goodreads Synopsis:    YOU'VE GOT MAIL meets HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE in this delightful novel about a talented chef and the food critic who brings down her restaurant—whose chance meeting turns into a delectable romance of mistaken identities.

In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luella’s, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancé…until the morning she discovers him in the buff—with an intern.

Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luella’s, little does he know he’s arrived on the worst day of the chef’s life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted service—he unleashes his worst.

The day that Al’s mean-spirited review of Luella’s runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and she’s game—but only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the city’s local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lou’s restaurant faces closure, while Al’s column gains popularity. It’s only a matter of time before the two fall in love…but when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future?

Set in the lovely, quirky heart of Wisconsin, THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE is a charming love story of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and the power of food to bring two people together.

My Thoughts:

-    This was almost the perfect chick lit. Other than some minor complaints, I really enjoyed this one!

-    I enjoy cooking and baking, and I love cooking shows, so this book had the perfect setting. I loved every minute of Lou's cooking, and I wanted to sample every dish she made. 

-    Al's personality was a little weird in a couple parts. I liked him for most of the book, but his instant adoration for Lou seemed out of character for him. He was the big bad food critic, but when it came to Lou, he was mush. I got tired of him adoring her during their first couple of "none dates." I wish he had been more standoffish during the beginning of the relationship. I like brooding guys with a gentle side, and that is what I wanted Al to be. However, I love how Lou made him want to be better, and how he started looking at everything in a new way after meeting Lou.

-    I'm a sucker for You've Got Mail type stories, and this one falls smack center in that category. I loved it!

-    I really liked Lou, and I sympathized with her. I loved the side characters too. Sue, Harley, and John were fabulous. Otto and Gertrude were perfection. They made me cry. 

-    Romance usually makes me bored, but I enjoyed the kissing and love making in this one. It was swoon worthy, especially the teasing. 

-    I'm so excited to try the coconut cake recipe in the back of the book. I was thrilled when I saw it there! 

The Scarecrow of Oz

Goodreads Says:    Come along on a magical journey to Oz with a whole new group of intrepid adventurers.

Trot, a young girl from California, and her peg-legged sailor friend, Cap'n Bill, find themselves on a perilous and exciting voyage when a whirlpool leaves them stranded in an underwater cave. There they are befriended by a most curious creature--the Ork. With four paddle-like wings, legs like a stork's, a parrot's head, and a tail like a propeller, the Ork proves to be a very welcome and helpful companion.

After escaping the cave, the three friends make their way to the magical Land of Mo, where it snows popcorn and rains lemonade. Here they find Button-Bright--lost once again and eager to join in their adventures.

Together, the four travel across the deadly desert and into the Land of Oz, only to find themselves in new troubles with the scowling King Krewl and Blinkie, a wicked witch. But when everything seems its worst, who should come to their rescue but the Scarecrow of Oz himself! Thanks to the Scarecrow's wondrous brains, our friends just might have a chance to prevail against their heartless enermes.

My Thoughts:

-    Scarecrow doesn't come into the story until about halfway through. He is the title character! The story should have been more about him.

-    There were some elements that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

-    I thought Glinda hid Oz so no one could find it anymore. Where are these people coming from?

-    Trot and and the other girl from the previous book are just like Dorothy. Why didn't the author just use Dorothy. We don't need more girls that are practically the same. 

Previous Oz Books

(covers are linked)

  
  
 

The Paper Magician

From Goodreads:    Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic… forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined — animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner — a practitioner of dark, flesh magic — invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

My Thoughts:

-    The magic was confusing towards the end. I loved the magic system in general, but they pushed the limits too far. 

-    The origami stuff was really fun.

-    Let's talk about the romance. I am not a fan! I really wanted Magician Thane and Ceony to just have a master and apprentice relationship. I would have loved it to become a more father/daughter thing, but I don't want to see them fall in love! Magician Thane is too old! I just can't get behind it. It would be like Obi-Wan and Leia falling in love. Just NO!

-    Fennel is the best part of the book. I love that Ceony had his constant companionship. Dogs are amazing that way. 

-    I really liked how the book started, and I liked the idea of the story, but I didn't like the direction it took. There was SO much unfulfilled potential. I won't be continuing the series. 

Spider-Man Homecoming

My Thoughts:

-    As a movie, I thought it was pretty entertaining. As a Marvel fan, they screwed a lot of things up. 

-    I liked Spider-Man. They did a good job on his character, and I liked the actor. 

-    While I enjoyed seeing Robert Downey Jr. in this movie, I was bugged that Iron Man had such a large roll in Spider-Man's life. It bugged!

-    It also bugged me that Spider-Man was pining after the Avengers. He was always a solo act, and he was good at it. 

-    Let's talk about Vulture. What were they thinking? I admit that I liked Michael Keaton as a bad guy, but I thought they invented a new villain. It never occurred to me that it was Vulture. They really messed up his character. They also messed up Shocker. 

-    The Captain America videos cracked me up.

-    The action was fun, but sometimes it was hard to see what was happening. 

-    MJ pissed me off! THAT IS NOT MARY JANE!! Can we get a Spider-Man movie with Felicia in it!? There are so many movies, but no Felicia! Come on people!! 

-    Stan Lee's cameo was hilarious and awesome as always! I love that man! 


p.s. After the movie, I realized I wore a DC shirt to a Marvel movie. Whoops!!

Caraval

Goodreads Synopsis:    Remember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

My Thoughts:

-    I liked this book, but it is one of those that I don't have a lot to say about. You know? It was just fun.

-    The story was imaginative and intriguing. I was hooked from the beginning. 

-    I liked the thrill of the game and sense of danger everywhere. 

-    My favorite thing about the story is the setting. I love the immaculate world that was created.

-    I want to like to Julian, I do, but I there is something holding me back. I just don't trust him. 

-    I'm excited for the next book.

Fan Art Friday: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Gnome and I just finished the second Harry Potter book. She enjoyed it a lot. It was fun to revisit this story. I found a lot of amazing artwork for this one. This is a long post guys!

All of these are great! I love the one with Dobby hitting himself with the frying pan. I also love the two with Dumbledore. Whoever drew that office, wow! And Fawkes? Wow!

Which is your favorite?

All the illustrations are linked to the source. Some of them were on the same web page, so you have to scroll.

Tik-Tok of Oz

Goodreads Says:    Join Tik-Tok, the Shaggy Man, and a host of other friends--both old and new--on an exciting, imaginative journey through the world of Oz.

The fun begins in an isolated corner of Oz, in the small country of Oogaboo. There Queen Ann Soforth musters an unlikely army and sets off to conquer the rest of Oz. Meanwhile, a girl from Oklahoma named Betsy Bobbin and her companion, Hank the mule, are shipwrecked and washed ashore in the Rose Kingdom, a magical land of talking roses. There they meet the Shaggy Man, who is on a quest to rescue his brother from the clutches of the wicked Nome King. Betsy, Hank, and the Rose Princess join the Shaggy Man on his journey, and before long they meet up with Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter; Tik-Tok; and Queen Ann with her army. The rest of Baum's tale is filled with hairbreadth escapes, wild puns, and mystifying magic.

My Thoughts:

-    I'm really surprised this book exists. The back story is really interesting. Baum wrote a play about Ozma of Oz, but because he couldn't use the original characters for some reason, he came up with some new ones. Then Baum decided to turn the play into a book. So the book is a lot like Ozma of Oz. It has a lot of the same scenarios with different characters.

-    I liked the dragon a lot. I love that there are dragons in Oz. The dragon reminded me of that flying dog from The Neverending Story. 

-    This was one of my least favorite in the series. I wasn't into the new characters, and it repeated a previous book. 

Previous Oz Books

(covers are linked)