I 'think' I'm caught up on the current ST lit verse storyline so I thought I would go back and do some catch up on some stand alone stories and other series. Reading 'The Buried Age' by CB. I like the double meaning of the title and I enjoy the idea of a civilization buried underneath another civilization, sort of like finding all those levels under Troy or the imagery in Lord of the Rings. I think there is a part of me that would have enjoyed being an archeologist. It also refers to a time in Picard's life that we knew little about. Also reading the New Frontier book Martyr and have the first Vanguard in reserve PLUS CB's new book. One of my new year's good intentions (I don't do resolutions) is to slow down when it comes to reading and stop zipping through things. It's a bit of a struggle.
DESPICABLE ME MINIONS ANNUAL 2017. Yeah, another Xmas novelty I got. I do love Minions, and this is an all-Minion volume. There are assorted little puzzles and stuff which should be fun for the kiddies, some nice cartoons, an a brief novelisation (of sorts) of The Minions movie. The main feature is some 3D Minions card kits, which are pretty good, though they do come out more squared and angular than the rounded Minions we know... HORRIBLE HISTORIES' FESTIVE FEASTS by Terry Deary. Less of a novelty, but just to round off the Xmas-themed reading... Well, basically it's a Horrible Histories book- we all know what that means: nice easily-digestible chunks of interesting and amusing historical tidbits, largely addressed to 8-12 year-olds, but pretty much appealing to all ages. This one isn't specifically about foods or feasts at Christmas, but covers lots of seasonal facts and customs, in the typical HH style. Not really anything I didn't already know, but then again, I've done a fair bit of research on the subject for another book, so there's bound to be quite a bit that's new to most people. And since it's so readable, it makes an ideal dip-into sort of thing (e.g. what we here call a bog-book, cos it's handy for something to look at while sat on one) more than a page-turning novel sort of thing. But fun.
I'm not that familiar with the Minions phenomenon, but it occurs to me that we're probably about to have (or already have?) a whole generation of kids who will be surprised to learn that the word "minion" doesn't refer exclusively to Twinkie-shaped, gibberish-speaking cartoon characters.
You may be right. My youngest niece is only three years old but "Minion" is definitely part of her vocabulary--in this specific context.
It'd be kind of similar to how the six-year-old me saw the film Return of the Jedi in theaters back in 1983 and associated the word "Rancor" with a giant, slobbering monster in Jabba's palace that almost ate Luke Skywalker, only to learn soon afterwards that the word also means "spite" or "malice."
Then there's the way "Nimrod" came to be a slang term for "moron" or "doofus." Nimrod was a mighty hunter mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and there's a Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs ironically refers to Elmer Fudd as "the little Nimrod," mocking his pretensions of being a great hunter. (I actually thought it was in Little Hiawatha, but every online source says Elmer Fudd, despite being vague about which specific cartoon it was.) But to young viewers who weren't familiar with the Biblical reference, it just sounded like a generic insult.
Of course in the UK Rancor and rancour were always totally different things... But, hey, I'm 48, know a word or three, and I'mmore than happy to think of the word "minion(s)" with those adorable little yellow buggers to the exclusion of all else!
I started reading Star Trek Prey book 3 The hall of heroes. I've read only a few chapters but the story has been fast paced and intriguing.
Started off the new year with a couple of the Lost Era novels - The Art of the Impossible and Serpent Among the Ruins. Thoroughly enjoyed both.
I just finished reading Elusive Salvation by Dayton Ward (2016) and it was fun (even after watching the 2 DVD set for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951)). Earlier this year, I read the Canadian First Nations novel Black Apple by Joan Crate (2016).
I finished reading The Golden age of Mysteries short story anthology written by authors from the early 1900s . I'm now reading Twice told tale by Ali Brandon.
On Thursday I finished ST: The Fall: The Poisoned Chalice and started reading the digital edition of the Amazing Spider-Man collection, Crime and Punisher.
On the third book of the Department 19 books by Will Hill at the moment. After that, it'll probably be back to The Ministry of Peculiar Occurances series by Pip Ballantine/Tee Morris.
Have the Ministry of Peculiar Occurances books been good? I've been curious about steampunk for a while, and that was one of the series I was considering checking out.
I think they are the only real steam punk ones I've read so can't compare them to others. (though I think I've read The Difference Engineby Gibson - but that's a long time ago). I've enjoyed them though
I just finished Star Trek: Destiny book 1 last week. I am almost done with book 2. I am really enjoying them. These are the first Star Trek books I have read since Star Trek Federation way back in the mid 90's!
I finished Stargate SG-1: Hall of the Two Truths by Susannah Parker Sinard. I then read Once Upon a Time: Out of the Past, a graphic novel collection of four stories based on the show. I'm now reading Star Trek: The Original Series: The Face of the Unknown by Christopher L. Bennett.