Book Review: Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed

Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron
by Alexander Freed (Freed)

Alphabet Squadron is the spiritual successor to Michael Stackpole’s “X-Wing” series. It is so named because the squadron includes a mix of A-wing, B-wing, U-wing, X-wing and Y-wing starcraft. Much as the ships are a mish-mash hodgepodge, so are the pilots and the circumstances that lead them to becoming a squadron. Fans of the TV Series “Star Wars: Rebels” will enjoy Hera Syndulla showing up as a supporting character. This is a very good read for Star Wars fans who enjoy the parts of the universe that don’t involve lightsabers or the Force. The characters are deeply flawed and all the more interesting for it. The plot moves along nicely without sacrificing character development. It’s the first book of series and it requires being a fan of the books and TV series to fully get what’s going on. However, any Star Wars fan, regardless if they know who everyone in the book is and why they’re important, will enjoy this novel.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Twilight Company, or Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, both by Alexander Freed, or Aftermath, by Chuck Wendig]

[ official Alphabet Squadron page on Wookiepedia ] | [ official Alexander Freed web site ]

Recommended by Corey G.
Gere Branch Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

New BooksTalk Booklist: Shannon's Non-Fiction Booktalk for 2019

On March 22, 2019, Shannon K., from the Walt Branch Library, presented a booktalk to the Bethany BooksTalk groups, sharing a selection of ten recently-published non-fiction titles on a variety of subjects..

Check out her list of recommended reads at the following link: 

Shannon's Non-Fiction Booktalk for 2019

DVD Review: Mr. Right

Mr. Right
[DVD Mr.]

This was a fun oddball cross-over between rom-com and violent action. Anna Kendrick plays Martha, one of her stock “quirky”, neurotic young women, fresh off a break-up with her boyfriend and leery of getting involved with anyone new. Sam Rockwell plays Francis, the charming and equally quirky man she crosses paths with only to have them “click”, relationship-wise. They seem perfect for each other. But the “perfect” turns out to be flawed, when she discovers that he’s a former hit-man, now on the run from the bad guys who had hired him, and from his former “killing” trainer, who’s frustrated that Francis has left the business. He may only kill bad guys now, but that doesn’t mean violence and mayhem aren’t following him around.

Kendrick and Rothwell seem like an odd pairing, but they have good chemistry, and watching Martha evolve as a character from wishy-washy to “badass” was fascinating. Tim Roth provides great support as the former mentor of Francis, who’s also after him. And rapper RZA has a comic turn as “Shotgun Steve”, one of the bad guys’ “muscle”, who turns out to have a personality of his own. None of the “bad guys” really stood out, though.

The violence is fairly extreme, and the coarse language flies fast and heavy. But the snappy dialog is funny, and the relationship between Martha and Francis really made this film pay off in the end. Recommended, with warnings for violence and language.

[ If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy Grosse Pointe Blank from 1997, similar in theme and tone.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Mr. Right web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: On the Bright Side by Hendrik Groen

On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old
by Hendrik Groen (Groen)

This book features a year in the life of Hendrik Groen. He is a dapper gent who tells it like it is, and doesn’t pull his punches. He’s not “vulgar” like his friend Evert, but they’re both ornery and living large in an old folks home in Holland. His favorite activities include going on outings with his buddies in a parade of motor scooters, traveling in a pack with the Old But Not Dead Club, and taking naps. Hendrik shares with us a friendly window into life as it really is in a care facility. Among the topics discussed are euthanasia, adult diapers, dementia, kids-these-days, and the petty squabbles of any group of humans living in close quarters. All done with a droll sense of humor.

Reading Hendrik’s diary-style entries, reminds me of sitting on the porch swing with my grandpa on a summer night, listening to him talk to the neighbors while we all waited for it to get late enough to go to bed. I felt like a kid again, listening to the grown-ups and trying to keep quiet so I could overhear their secret talk.

A book that reminds you of summer nights and a very special grandpa just can’t be beat.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen 83 1/4 years old, by Hendrik Groen, or No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall-Smith (for a similar cozy theme).]

[ publisher Penguin UK’s official Hendrik Groen web page ]

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!