The Undiscovered Country and Beyound...

Hi ho all in "The Land of Blog,"
Tis good to talk with you again.

At the moment I am a Youth Services Librarian without a home (not working at a Library). However I am still reading great books for tweens and teens. Therefore my name has been changed to Ronin Librarian Bill. Now you may be asking, what exactly is a Ronin. Well this is a pretty good/brief definition I found:

Ronin - in Japanese history, masterless samurai , knights of feudal Japan without Lords to serve. 

 

 

 

Okay let's talk some recent reads:

 

 

The Last Apprentice: The Spook Bestiary, The Guide To Creatures Of The Dark by Joseph Delaney and Julek Heller - Well if you are a fan of The Last Apprentice Series, this book is a must for you or any other up and coming Spook. This book covers not only all the creatures that the Spook John Gregory has dealt with in his lifetime but also notes from the likes of Spook Apprentice Tom Ward, Past Apprentices, the much missed Spook Bill Arkwright and many more. Covered not only in text but with wonderful illustrations the book cover Boggarts (and believe me there are many different types). The most frighting of all Boggarts to me are Rippers which feed on animal and human blood (very dangerous) eventually killing their victims. Also of interest covered are The Old Gods (such as Aphrodite, Artemis, The Bane - a very nasty creature that can cause it's victims to be crushed, breaking bones and crushing internal organs, by exerting a tremendous amount of pressure, The Fiend (known by other names such as the Devil, Satan, Lucifer and The Father of Lies), Golgoth (Lord of Winter), Pan (The Horned God) and many more. Of course witches are covered (man there are so many types), Elementals and things Spooks and others have only heared tales of. This is a great companion piece to go with the series and even has some encounters by various Spooks featured guaranteed to curl the hair on your very head. Recommended for readers 11 years old and up!!!!!! Great Stuff!!!!!


The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin The Witch Assassin (Book 9) by Joseph Delaney - I have to tell you one of my favorite characters in this series the Witch Assassin Grimalkin of the Malkin witch clan. Once a sworn enemy of The Spook and Tom, she becomes a part of of an alliance between them and Alice. Spoiler Alert - The alliance is primarily the assurance that The Fiend is once and for all taken care of (that is put out of the picture if you know what I mean). Grimalkin has in her possession the head of The Fiend and is on the run from dark forces while Tom, The Spook and Alice search for a way to end The Fiends threat forever. If the head and body are reconnected The Fiend will live again so Grimalkin along with her apprentice Thorne are running from forces that even give Grimalkin a challenge. The main being an evil obscenity known as a Kretch that actually hurts Grimalkin very badly. How long can Grimalkin and Thorne keep ahead of the deadly hunt by the Kretch and other dark beings? Read and find out if this very cool knife throwing witch assassin is up to the task. A page turner for sure. Recommended for those 13 and up mainly because of the violence factor.

A very cool action pose of Grimalkin!!!!

I know it has been awhile since I wrote a review, but hopefully things will get better in the future and thanks to everyone who has been hanging with the blog.

Peace,

Bill

I'm back... with Jonah Hex and Ender Wiggins!!!

Hi all you cool cats in "The Land o Blog." I've been travelling the waste lands all by my lonesome for a little while now, but have found the communication portal once again. Big shout out to Iron Carl for carrying the load all by his lonesome will I was missing in action!!!! Luv ya dude!!!! Anyway since I'm back I'd like to make this post a little special. Hold tight all:




For a Few Dollars More staring Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef!!!!
After reading my first review you will understand why I included this awesome clip!!!!

Jonah Hex, Bury Me In Hell by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and others - For those of you unfamiliar with Jonah Hex let me fill you in. Jonah Hex is the ultimate western anti-hero out there in the world of comics. This Graphic Novel covers the comics numbered 61-70. If you love the Spaghetti Westerns (The Good, the Bad and The Ugly, For a Few Dollars More and A Fistful of Dollars) made with Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach (The very best with all 3 involved), you will love this Graphic Novel. This GN includes Jonah taking on a Killer Octopus (I know this one has you scratching your head), being stranded in a town where breakfast, lunch and dinner are more than a tad odd and plenty of other stories involving bandits, gunslingers, saloons, whiskey and general wild west adventure. I must caution that this book is not for younger readers as the violence, language and general mature level is definitely for older western fans. My recommendation would be at least 14 years old and up. If you like this one there are many other excellent Jonah Hex GNs out there. Great stuff!!!!!





Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card - Orson Scott Card is by far and away one of the finest writers of Science Fiction that I know. Now to me what makes for great Scfi is not just futuristic machines and gadgets, spaceships, etc., but also great written characters and a solid plot that peaks your interest. "Speaker For The Dead" has all of these items and I flew through it. Now if you are not familiar with "Ender's Game," the first book in which we meet Ender Wiggins and the war against the Buggers is held, stop right now and read that book first. I would also suggest following "Ender's Game" with "Ender's Shadow" about another interesting character named Bean. Okay after reading those two books dive into this one. This book is about what happens to Ender after The Bugger War ("Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow" occur at the same time, just focusing on different characters). He becomes what is called a Speaker of the Dead and tells the story of people's life that are no longer with us.

The story starts on a world know as Lusitania that is colonized by humans. The problem is there is an alien race already living their known as the Porquinhos or Piggies (although in no way or form do they resemble pigs) which means because of incidents that occurred in "Ender's Game," humans are forced by The Starway Congress to have limited contact with this newly discovered species. The limited contact that is allowed for study leads to quite a mystery. A mystery that involves death and causes great pain and suffering until it builds to multiple calls for the most famous Speaker of the Dead....Andrew Wiggins. also not known by many to be Ender (despised by many for reasons you will have to read about)!!!!!!! A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Recommended for those13 and up.

Well I missed you guys and I will be back soon. Let me know if you are reading something you really like by commenting on this post?

Peace all,

Bill

Yes, Indeed!!! Rick Riordan Wrties TWO More Winners!!

I've told you before that I'm probably Rick Riordan's # 1 fan in Charlotte and there's a very good reason. It's because he writes fan-tastic books.Actually, now there are TWO more very good reasons and they are THE DEMIGOD DIARIES and THE MARK OF ATHENA, two terrific books!! You want action? You got it! You want suspense that will make your pulse race like a Kentucky Derby horse? It's there. And you want the trademark goofball humor? It's all there!
Take a look:

The Demigod Diaries--There are four stories, written by different demigods in their diaries. Luke Castellan and Thalia get trapped in a decrepit old mansion in Richmond, waiting for a monster to devour them. Percy and Annabeth have to get the cadeuceus, the symbol of Hermes, back from a giant who runs a flea market! Leo Valdez tries to track down his walking mechanical table while dodging the Maneads--the most frightening creatures I've seen yet in a Rick Riordan book. At the end is a story by a guest author--and wait until you find out who it is! All these stories move along and keep you laughing, gasping in suspense and reading, reading, reading. Plus there are cards, puzzles, etc. A true winner! If you haven't already read it, don't waste a minute--go find it at your library or bookstore or get it on your e-reader.

The Mark of Athena--The seven demigods finally set off on their quest to keep Gaea from awakening and destroying the world. Of course, to do so, they must sail across the Atlantic and try to survive what awaits them. If they make it, then they must get past the Pillars of Hercules--and past Hercules himself! If they can do that, then the REAL danger begins in Rome! Annabeth must go on a quest alone to follow the Mark of Athena and recover the Pallas Athena. (what's that? I won't tell you! You gotta find out!) Percy and Jason and Piper must overcome two giants while Leo and Hazel and Frank make an unexpected discovery. Do you think they've faced danger before? Ha! Just wait until you see who Annabeth meets!! Or the underwater trap waiting for Percy, Jason and Piper. And, while this is going on, the demigods from Camp Jupiter are moving across the country to attack Camp Half-Blood. Whew!
If you haven't noticed, there's a lot going on in this book! These are two of the best in the whole Percy Jackson series. There's enough adventure and excitement to satisfy the most enthusiastic or reluctant guy reader. But not only is there action, there's also laugh-out-loud humor. Like when Percy tries to save the quest from half-dolphin monsters by using a can of Diet Coke. Or when they face an evil giant wearing a tutu. And there are very touching scenes as well, like when Hazel finally figures out the connection between her and Leo and Sammy Valdez. And then there's the scene in which Annabeth starts to descend under Rome to find the Pallas Athena. She knows that the chances are coming back alive are extremely slim. She looks up and sees the blue sky framed in the doorway leading underground. She also knows that she can go back up those stairs into the sunshine and be safe. She has a choice to make.What will she do? THAT'S masterful writing, guys!

These books get the Iron Guy Seal of Approval as Two Terrific Books!!

BUT---

I have to warn you. There is--there is--well, the only way to warn you properly is to make a Public Service Announcement:

Well, you've been warned but you've also been encouraged. Go and get these two fantastic reads!! You will not regret it. And if you've already read them, hit that "Comment" button below and send me a review. We love to hear what reader guys think!

This Turkey Is Thankful For Good Football Books!

It's almost Thanksgiving, the day a lot of guys like to eat insane amounts of turkey and watch FOOTBALL! Of course the Iron Guy does too. (I guess that makes me the Gridiron Guy---ah hahahaha!!!) The season is halfway over and we in Charlotte have groaned all year, watching our beloved and frustrating Panthers lose some games that were going our way. Anyway, here are some good books about the pigskin sport:

How Football Works by Keltie Thomas

Here's one that I've written about before and it's still terrific. Chock-full of useful information, this book is a must-read for the the novice or the long-time fan. You can see my original  review here.here. Go ahead and take a look--not only does it tell you how terrific the book  is, but it lets you see how hopeful we Panthers fans at this time last year. Well, we had Cam Newton tearing up the gridirons in his impressive rookie year, so we had good reason. But this year---Oh, will we ever learn????


Long Arm Quarterback by Matt Christopher

Most reader guys know that the name "Matt Christopher" on a book guarantees a good read. Here's what I said in the original review:

 Long-Arm Quarterback by Matt Christopher. I hope you know about him already. He writes sports books and I haven't read one yet that I didn't like. Cap Wadell is frustrated because his little Texas town is so small that they can't get enough guys together to make a football team. His grandfather Tully remembers when he was in high school and played with six-person teams; in fact, there was a high school league made of six-person teams. Tully suggests that all the small towns in that area get together and make such a league. Cap's friends get excited at the idea and, before long, there's a league going. Tully agrees to coach Cap's team but there's a problem--Cap's friend Jimmy joins the team. That's not so bad, but Jimmy's grandfather Sable comes along to help coach. Sable used to play on Tully's league on a different team and was a good player. Tully won the championship that year and Sable is still mad about it after all these years. Will that old rivalry tear the team apart? Will Sable ever put his anger away and think about the good of the team? I had to read all the way to the end to find out!

NFC South by Michael Teitelbaum

This is a good one if you want some quick facts about the teams in the NFC South Division: the Atlanta Falcons, the Panthers, the New Orleans Saints or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The whole book took me only 15 minutes to read. There a short history of each team (only a page long) plus info on the Home Field, Big Days, Superstars (Then and Now), and Stat Leaders for each team. Interesting reading.

And here's a video to make you laugh. It's based on an old Andy Griffith routine called "What It Was Was Football" about a young hillbilly boy who sees his first football game. It'a about 7 minutes long, so make yourselves comfortable.

If I don't see you before then,  I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Awesome=Alvin Ho

Hey gang, this is your friendly neighborhood Iron Guy Carl, letting you know about a couple of awesome videos otherwise known as book trailers. They're like movie trailers except that they're for---well, books! These are epic and they are all about the hilarious Alvin Ho books. "Who is Alvin Ho?" Well, he's a second-grader who is afraid of everything. Better yet, let's put it in his own words: "The first thing you should know about me is that I am afraid of many things. Elevators. Tunnels. Bridges. Substitute teachers. The dark. Scary movies. Shots. School. Among other things." He's so afraid that he can't speak in school. And he carries a Personal Disaster Kit which contains useful things like "Garlic. For fending off vampires and teachers." These are seriously funny, laugh-out-loudly-enough-to-startle-your-neighbors books.


There are four of them now and a fifth to come out next spring. But don't wait until then--go to your closest library or bookstore and find them! (There's also an audiobook version of the first two, read by an actual 10-year-old boy. It's hysterical, especially when he tries to sound like Alvin's dad)

And here are the video trailers I told you about:

So what are you waiting for? Go get them and prepare to LAUGH!

Musings and Books Read by A Library Ninja

Hi all and happy Labor Day!!! Library Ninja Bill has been in unexplored territories investing the inner workings of what makes the world go round. The answers are elusive but he knows that they have something to do with love, caring for others and treating your fellow man (or woman) with respect and decency. I want ramble anymore and leave my philosophising to myself.

Right now I am reading a great book (almost finished actually) by one of my favorite authors Stephen King. The book is an adult book about time travel, the late 50s and early 60s, the assignation of a great American President and what some consider the end of a time of innocence and the beginning of America's downfall. The book is 11/22/63. Below is a tune mentioned in the book several times, "In The Mood," by the late and great Glenn Miller. In the book the characters dance the Lindie Hop to this song in several key scenes. As King puts it: "To dance is to live," or something close to that. Check it out (the dance appears occasionally, but however danced to the music groves):










Too Cool!!!!!!!!!!


Okay enough, let's get to some reviews of other books I have read lately. Let me know what you think if you get the time.



The Last Apprentice - Rise of The Huntress by Joseph Delaney - This installment of The Last Apprentice Series has the Spook, Tom, Alice and Tom's dogs Claw, Blood and Bone. Returning from their epic adventure in Greece. Their land is at war with invaders and when they arrive home they find the Spook's house destroyed and that some very dangerous prisoners have escaped (one being the witch Boney Lizzie, Alice's mother and a darn powerful witch who uses bone and blood magic). They decide it is best to leave and cross the ocean to the island of Mona. This turns out to be a big mistake as they are not welcome and things go very wrong, very quickly. They find big trouble on Mona as Boney Lizzy has also relocated there and about taken over the entire island with the help of a terrible demon known as a buggane (it hides beneath the earth and tunnels sucking the life force out of its victims). Lizzy has a score to settle with the Spook and the Spook appears to be weakening with age. Tom and Alice with the help of others must take up the slack for the weakened Spook and also keep on their toes because who knows when the Fiend will show up. Recommended for those 10 and up.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - This is the first book in a series about 14-year-old Kendra and 12-year-old Seth Sorenson who have to spend their summer at a nature preserve run by their grandparents. Their Grandpa Sorenson is present when they first arrive, but their Grandmother is conspicuously absent. They are given strict rules to follow and told to never leave the house or it's yard without being accompanied by a responsible party. Grandpa Sorenson has two helpers that live in or near the house, Dale a quite man who likes to be left alone and Lena the kind housekeeper. What they do not know and come to discover is that this nature preserve is much more than meets the eye. It is actually a land preserve for magical creature (both good, neutral or evil) that has to be carefully watched over for the safety of all its inhabitants and the rest of the world in general! Their are fairies, centaurs, golems, naiads, witches, demons among many other creatures on the preserve that have to carefully be kept in certain areas and separated for many reasons. There are certain times of the year when these areas are opened and the creatures allowed to roam. This can be a very dicey and dangerous time and the caretakers make sure to be in their well protected home on the preserve at these times for safety reasons. Kendra and Seth quickly find out what the preserve is all about and find wonders and great dangers that they have to deal with. The main being the witch Muriel Taggert and the demon Bahumat and finding out what happened to their Grandmother and how they can save her. This is a fun and exciting story filled with equal amounts of chills and laughter. Also it is the first in a series that I look forward to reading. Recommended for those 10 years and up.
 

Later all and peace,

Bill

Sinestro & Hal Jordan - The New Dynamic Duo

Hiya out their in Blog-o-Land. It's the "Strange Ninja Librarian With No Name." formerly known as "Ninja Librarian Bill" and soon to be.......  Well here is some more review stuff. Enjoy!!!!!

Green Lantern Volume1: Sinestro by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke - Okay I know some of you remember my comment about not liking DC's direction with The New 52, but Green Lantern for the most part seems unaffected except for this GN being labeled Volume 1. I missed event's leading up to this GN (yea I have had to give up comics for awhile due to an incredibly shrinking wallet) but Hal Jordan is no longer a Green Lantern having been given the boot by The Guardians of the Galaxy on OA. Sinestro is forced back into the Green Lantern Corps, but as we all know a tiger cannot change his stripes. Sinestro quickly finds himself, much to his chagrin, in deep trouble. His home world, Korugar, has been taken over by the former Corps he lead "The Sinestro Corps." He knows he needs help so he recruits one of the only former Green Lantern's he ever respected, Hal Jordan. Hal is happy to be free of the Green Lantern mantle and he joins Sinestro extremely reluctantly after Sinestro forges him a ring from his own. Together they take on The Sinestro Corps although things do not go exactly according to plan. Read it to see what I mean. Johns and Mahnke but together a pretty sweet story. Recommended for ages 12 and up!!!!!

Avengers: X-Sanction by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness - Last we heard from the X-Men Camp Cable was dead. Well as we all know in comics death is not necessarily permanent. Cable, with the techno-organic virus running rampant, has come back in time because he foresees events in which The Avengers Captain America, Iron Man, Red Hulk, The Falcon and Spider-Man will oppose the X-Men in something to do with the Phoenix Force and Hope (Cable's daughter). To protect Hope from future events he goes after our heroes one by one, even Wolverine (both an X-Man and an Avenger). Epic fights ensue and this basically sets up the current summer event in comics "X-Men Vs. Avengers" Epic. This is a fun GN of superheroes doing some supper brawling. If you are looking for something deep, this is not it. If you are looking for something just fun, this is it. Recommended for ages 12 and up.



Until next time all, peace,

Bill