Non-Fiction Coolness

Hey guys, Master Jedi Zack here with a different book offering than I usually give around here. Today I would like to talk about some Non-Fiction, yup true books this time, who'da thunk it?!

The first book I came across here at the library is The Boy's Book of Survival: How to Survive Anything, Anywhere. This book is from the people who brought you the Dangerous Book for Boys (which I trust everyone has read!) and is the definition of AWESOME. This book will teach you how to survive tight situations like a school dance and even the Bubonic Plague. The Dastardly Darth Bill should even read this book for the How to Survive a Duel chapter!




The second book I think everyone should pick up is Are You Afraid Yet?: The Science Behind Scary Stuff. This book is all about ghost stories and why we find them so scary. Of course, being the grand Jedi that I am, I don't experience true FEAR like a Sith would, but it is still fun to learn about why people are frightened by things like King Kong and Bigfoot.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

More Discussion on Benedict Arnold, Hulk Sings and a Wolverine Graphic Novel

Hi all in "The Land of Blog,"

Tis I, The Sith with the mostest, Darth Bill. First off I feel I need to counterpoint some comments, with all due respect to the commenters, from the last post about Benedict Arnold.

First Dan commented:

"Thanks for the review. I want to look for this one and share it with my kids. Benedict Arnold is a chance to study character in the face of discouragement and frustration and injustice. He could have been a hero. In the end, he failed, not because his courage failed, but because his character failed, and embittered, he tossed his right to be a hero away. In spite of his abilities and amazing courage, he loses the character war. Character does count."



<------ Artist Rendition of Benedict Arnold




Carl also commented:

"Didn't mean to get on a soapbox, but it's true, guys. Hey, while you read the Benedict Arnold book, you ought to check out Washington at Valley Forge by Russell Freedman. (I reviewed it on the February 16 post titled "What a Book! What a Man!" It would be a good companion to the Benedict Arnold book because it shows how Washington, facing a lot of similar frustrations and discouragements, managed to overcome them."

<------ Artist Rendition of George Washington




While I do not disagree with either of them that character counts quite allot and it is a bit disappointing about some of the things Benedict Arnold did when he changed sides in The Revolutionary War, I would not go as far as to say Benedict Arnold was completely lacking in character nor that George Washington was far his superior in the department of character. One must look not through the eyes of history knowing what we know now, but look at the people and events that where happening at the time. If you read the book (and I plan on reading the one about George Washington), you will see that Arnold looked at what was happening with the Revolution at the time and from what he saw and experienced made a very difficult decision based on that. Anyway no one is perfect and hindsight is always 20/20, that's my take on it and my opinion of Arnold's "Character." Nuff Said!!!!!!


And now for something a bit on the lighter side:




Hulk The Lounge Lizard Singing "Hulk Got You Under Hulk Skin"



Wolverine First Class: Wolverine-By-Night by Fred Lente, Mark Sumerak, Francis Portela, Hugo Petrus and Scott Koblish - If you love Wolverine, you will love this Graphic Novel. The Graphic Novel collects issues "Wolverine: First Class" issues 9 - 12 and "Wolverine and Power Pack" #2. The first story included has Wolverine visiting martial art expert Shang-Chi in order to seek aid in taking on his number one nemesis Sabretooth. The second story is a two parter in which Wolverine and Kitty Pryde take on Werewolves. Things go from bad to worse when Wolverine is bitten by one of the Werewolves and becomes one of them. Luckily Kitty finds a friend in Jack Russel, a somewhat "friendly" Werewolf, to help out. The story after this one has Cyclops returning to the X-Men after a long leave of absence. Along with fighting an ancient monster trapped within a temple and keeping Wolverine and Cyclops from killing one another, Kitty must choose which one should be her mentor. The last story has Wolve inviting Power Pack to the Xavier Institute where they learn the sad truth about bigotry towards mutants when Sentinels attack. I have been very impressed with this Graphic Novel Series and highly recommend it.

Well until next time me amigos,

Peace,

Bill

just around the corner

Hey guys, Master Jedi Zack here once again.

It is nearly time for the busiest and best days at the library, Summer Reading! The program officially starts on June 11th, and here at the Matthews Branch Library we are having a big party to kick off the fun. So come by the library and join us on June 11th at 2pm.

This year's theme is Be Creative @ Your Library. So get ready for lots of programs at all of the branches. I hear that the dastardly Darth Bill and the CARLMAN may even have some programs over at ImaginOn.

Benedict Arnold, Character, Barnstormers/Sluggers, and More Reasons Why Reading Is Important

Heigh-ho, all you reader guys out there, we have two comments from a new friend, Dan. The first is about Darth Bill's review of The Real Benedict Arnold book:

Thanks for the review. I want to look for this one and share it with my kids. Benedict Arnold is a chance to study character in the face of discouragement and frustration and injustice. He could have been a hero. In the end, he failed, not because his courage failed, but because his character failed, and embittered, he tossed his right to be a hero away. In spite of his abilities and amazing courage, he loses the character war. Character does count.

You're so right Dan. Character is life. Your character determines the type of life you'll have. Good character doesn't mean you'll be rich and famous but it will provide you with a good life on the inside, where it counts. If you're a jerk and become rich and famous, all you'll be is a rich and famous jerk. And is that what you want, really? Really?? THAT'S WHY READING GOOD STUFF IS IMPORTANT!!! Frustrating and discouraging times are bound to come and good reading can give you the equipment to deal with them.

Didn't mean to get on a soapbox, but it's true, guys. Hey, while you read the Benedict Arnold book, you ought to check out Washington at Valley Forge by Russell Freedman. (I reviewed it on the February 16 post titled "What a Book! What a Man!") It would be a good companion to the Benedict Arnold book because it shows how Washington, facing a lot of similar frustrations and discouragements, managed to overcome them. Besides, it's an awesome and exciting story!

Dan also sent us a comment about the Barnstormers/Sluggers series:

Hey Carl. Thanks to you (I think it was you, but it was on this blog that I first heard) I'm reading Barnstormers Game 1. I got the first two chapters read in the little time I had before bedtime. So what's up with the hole in the ball? And what's going to happen next? I've got other books to finish and how am I gonna finish them with a book as good as this calling out my name? Anyway, mucho thanks for the tip on this one. I know I'll have to get the rest.

I'm afraid your just going to have to drop all those other books and read these because they'll keep calling you!! They sure did for me. What's up with the hole in the ball??? Wouldn't you like to know? Well--so would I! I haven't found out yet and I've finished the 4th book--but I'm getting some good ideas. Man, these books are good!

I hope you keep writing to us, Dan. We sure enjoyed hearing from you!

Keep swinging for the back fences,

Carl

Rick Riordan--DA MAN!!!!

Hey, everybody, this is Carl with exciting news about where I went and who I saw this weekend. It was RICK RIORDAN, Mr. Percy Jackson! Mr. 39 Clues! I saw him in person in Raleigh, NC at Quail Ridge Books and Music. He was there for his Last Olympian book tour, so me, my wife, and our daughter took a little odyssey to see him. (Yes, I have a daughter. I've never mentioned her because it's just never come up. I've already said that I was married) We had a good time and Mr. Riordan is a genuinely nice man who is tremendously dedicated to his fans.

The event was at 7pm and the bookstore said not to come until 6 because there had been another author at 3. So we got there at 6 and it was already crowded. By 6:30 it looked like this:That's a lot of people! And this wasn't a huge store, either. I mean, it was good-sized but your average Barnes and Noble or Borders is two or three times as large. We all squeezed in closely and waited patiently.

Of course, there were kids in costume. Medusa was close by:

AND I got to hook up with two of our brother reader guys form the SMS Guys Read blog:

That's Doink the Clown on the left and Ricky "The Steamboat" Dragon on the right.

The heads of Guy Reading in North Carolina get togetherWe had a good time hanging out together and talking and waiting. And waiting. And waiting. But at 7pm, our patience was rewarded:

Sorry that the picture's dark. Mr. Riordan spoke and took questions for about 20 minutes. He told us about how he came up with the series, visiting the set of the Lightning Thief movie, and things like that. Then he dropped a couple of good-news bombs on us. First, there will be more Camp Half-Blood books! Mr. Riordan said that kids ask about certain characters and want to know what happens to them outside the camp season. Well, those types of questions get authors thinking and that gets them to writing. So we'll have new Camp Half-Blood adventures in the future. No, he didn't say when. And, no, Percy won't be the main character. He'll pop in as a senior adviser to the characters but that's all. Percy's earned a rest! THEN he told us about the NEW SERIES!! Mr. Riordan said that, outside of Greek mythology, the most popular school subject is ancient Egypt. Sooooooo-sometime next year, probably late winter or early spring, "The gods of ancient Egypt will invade the modern world." Wooo-hooo!! That ought to be good!! Have you ever studied ancient Egyptian mythology? There's a LOT of potential there!

He could have spoken a lot longer, of course, but, as I said, he's really dedicated to his fans. There were at least 600-700 people in there and Mr. Riordan said that he wouldn't leave until he signed EVERYTHING that people brought, so he kept it to 20 minutes so he could sign things and meet his fans. He's a truly remarkable guy.

The people who bought copies of The Last Olympian had priority and there were at least 624 of them, so we went and got dinner. By the time we got back, it was about 9:15 and he was still signing:

After two hours of signing books, he was still smiling and still glad to see his fans. And it was sincere.

We got in line. The line moved quickly because of all the people, so you couldn't stand and have an extended discussion, naturally, but he said "hi" and spoke with everyone. That's our daughter with me. She asked him to sign her notebook.

I introduced myself and he remembered me. He remembered ME! Of all the thousands of people he meets, he remembered me. "Wait," you say, "how can Rick Riordan remember you?" That just goes to show what a great guy he is. He wrote me a couple of years ago and sent me some "Demigod In Training" t-shirts as thanks for supporting his books on this blog. (HE READS THIS BLOG!!) So that's how he recognized me.

He signed my daughter's notebook, my copy of The Maze of Bones, and my old copy of Bulfinch's Mythology.

Here he is, signing that ratty old book I've had since high school:Now there's a good story behind this. I wrote him a couple of years ago and asked a lot of questions. One of them was why he never recommended Bulfinch's Mythology as a resource. (It's a very famous book) His answer was that it's big, thick, and intimidating. (Not to mention that it's old--from, like, 1798! But it's very thorough and well worth it--if you think you can handle it!) Anyway, when I handed him that book, he said, "Ah, you want me to sign your Bulfinch!" What an amazing memory!

We were close to the end of the line and everything closed soon after he signed my things. I was very glad to have met and spoken with one of my heroes. I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of authors, but very few have been as friendly as Rick Riordan. Thanks for coming to Raleigh. Y'all come back now, you hear?

PS. Mr. Riordan mentioned ME on his blog!! Take a look under the section on his Raleigh visit. Thanks, Mr. Riordan! I'm honored.

You Say You Want a Revolution!!!!

Hello all in the Land of Blog. It is I once again Darth Bill reporting from the far fringes of outer space. Well I have just finished one really cool book that deals with the Revolutionary War. That makes a perfect segway to put up a Beatles song so just lean back and enjoy:

The Beatles performing Revolution Live!!!!!

That was cool but let's talk now about the latest book I finished:

The Real Benedict Arnold by Jim Murphy - Do you know much about the American Revolutionary War? We all have read and heard about its heroes such as: George Washington, John Adams, The Marquis de Lafayette, Paul Revere and many more. One major individual we do not hear much about or if we do it is as a traitorous dog is Benedict Arnold. Well one thing you should know about history is that it is often depicted as the winners and people in power of the time paint it.

While Benedict Arnold, as a General of the Revolutionary War, did betray the Patriot's Cause and switch sides to the British, it may surprise you to know that perhaps he had good reason. People like to paint things in life in Black and White, but the real world is full of shades of Gray.

Did you know that at the beginning of the war, Benedict Arnold was a brilliant General who saved the 13 Colonies many times from English forces gathered in Canada? Most of the people he served with were timid and scared to engage the British, but not Arnold. He led his soldiers, every time putting himself at the very front of his troops, in defeating and frustrating British Armies who wanted to invade the Colonies from the north.

General Arnold Wounded at The

Battle of Saratoga Oct. 17, 1777

Did you know that he was betrayed at almost every corner by other Generals who were jealous of him or did not like him because he did not come from a prestigious family? To make themselves look good and him bad they lied about his achievements and their failures and reported just plain out lies to the Continental Congress about him. Did you know that he spent great sums of money to take care of the soldiers under his command in buying food, clothing, weapons, etc. in which the Continental Congress never reimbursed him leaving him almost broke at times? Did you know when at one point he became so frustrated with the backstabbing and lies that he tried to resign from the Revolutionary Army, he stayed because the soldiers under him and the Generals who really knew him and what he could do wrote him a letter, with all signing, begging him to not do so.

Did you know that George Washington believed Benedict Arnold to be one of the finest Generals in his army? He was one of the few Generals he knew that he could count on in any situation. In fact many other Generals ignored Washington when he was in trouble and needed more soldiers; never Arnold who responded with enthusiasm and fire bringing at a moments notice whatever George Washington requested.

I know this is a long review for me, but this book I think is important to read and is also fascinating. Yes Benedict Arnold betrayed the cause that led to the formation of The United States; but did he have good reason? Could one say that the Revolution would have crumbled without his leadership? Judge for yourself after reading this book if Benedict Arnold was the villain he was painted to be?

Well that's all for now. Until the next finished book, Up, Up and Away!!!!!!!!

Bill

It's Here!!!

IT'S HERE!!!! THE LAST OLYMPIAN!!! Here I am with the copy I just checked out:

I've heard nothing but good reports on this one. Master Jedi Zack calls it "awesome." One boy told me this afternoon that he'd finished and agreed with Master Zack's assessment. I'll keep you all informed!!

Speaking of Percy and TLO, let me let all you North Carolina people know that Rick Riordan will in Raleigh, NC this Saturday!! Yes, he will speak at Quail Ridge Books on Saturday, May 16 at 7 pm. Click on the bookstore to go to their site and get all the details.

Woo-hoo!

Carl