2022 May Reading Challenge

[Deborah]

My Ranking order would be:

IV, Rogue One, V, VI, IX, VII, VIII, III, I, II, Solo

[Debbie]

I don't like any of I, II, or III. IV is favorite, then VI. I like all of the later ones, but none any better than any other.
V was a necessary evil. I haven't seen any of the TV series.

[Debbie]

I read Star Wars: Aliens, Creatures, & Beasts by Thomas Macri. It was OK.

[Debbie]

Deborah wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "In not Star Wars news but I am posting here because I am excited anyway! Strange New Worlds premiers on Paramount+ on Thursday May 5!!!!!

If you are like me and like both Star Wa..."

I just started watching Strange New Worlds. Pike is deeply bothered about something that happened "out there". Two characters, within the first 5 minutes ask what happened and he replies "It's classified". Clearly, what happened was when he was on board Discovery (season 2).

I doubt it is critical to the story arc, but I'd like to know. Since I'm already watching Discovery anyway, I decided to wait until that part of Season 2 before I start Strange New Worlds.

[Elizabeth]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "I haven't seen all of them yet, but I like VII and VIII and would like to pretend that II and III don't exist. The original trilogy is of course the best and Rogue One was also really good."
Yeah, I agree, the original trilogy is the best. And Rogue One was also really good. :D If I was ranking TRILOGIES... the original trilogy is the best. Then I would probably put the prequels and then the sequels. Although, that's possibly nostalgia talking. Since the prequels came out when I was a teen, mostly.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Elizabeth wrote: "Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "I haven't seen all of them yet, but I like VII and VIII and would like to pretend that II and III don't exist. The original trilogy is of course the best and Rogue One w..."

I was in my teens/very early 20s when the prequels came out too, and I liked Phantom Menace fine. I actually saw II like 3 times in theaters... and by the third time it was like "Why am I here? This movie is so dumb" lol. I actually told my friends to wake me up when Yoda gets out his lightsaber and closed my eyes. There's just so much terrible cringy dialogue!

[Audrey]

A lot of the prequels dialogue is cringy. And the scenes are super short. And I could never stand Jar Jar. But it's not all bad.

[Debbie]

Audrey wrote: "A lot of the prequels dialogue is cringy. And the scenes are super short. And I could never stand Jar Jar. But it's not all bad."

Jar Jar Binks. Don't even let me get started!

[Greg]

Debbie wrote: "Jar Jar Binks. Don't even let me get started!"

I don't find Jar Jar any worse than C3PO.

All the films have problems. I still like them all.

[Audrey]

Greg wrote: "Debbie wrote: "Jar Jar Binks. Don't even let me get started!"

I don't find Jar Jar any worse than C3PO.

All the films have problems. I still like them all."

In Attack of the Clones, they tried to cut back on Jar Jar and gave all the annoying lines to C-3PO instead.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I honestly don't find JarJar terribly annoying. The lines between Padme and Anakin, though... yikes.

The Shakespeare Star Wars for II and III do a fantastic job of turning that romance into more of what it should have been.

[Audrey]

I've heard those versions improve the stories.

[Greg]

I know we're not quite there, yet....

I'd like to start looking for my summer challenge books. Do we have a theme for the summer challenge, yet?

[Tanya]

Greg wrote: "I'd have liked more detail about rehab, honestly."

You could have more info about rehab...if you'd go...but like Amy, you just keep saying "no, no, no."


(Don't worry folks, Tanya is my little si..."

:P

[Tanya]

Greg wrote: "I know we're not quite there, yet....

I'd like to start looking for my summer challenge books. Do we have a theme for the summer challenge, yet?"

I'm betting it's Oceans of Possibilities. That's the collaborative theme this year.

[Audrey]

Tanya wrote: I'm betting it's Oceans of Possibilities."

I'm sure you're right. It's always matched the in-library summer theme before.

[Debbie]

Kim, the moderator of the Daybreak Online Book Club posted this when the new group started in April:
For the books this summer I went with an ocean theme to go along with the Summer Reading theme: Oceans of Possibilities.

So thar ya go!

[Greg]

Debbie wrote: "Kim, the moderator of the Daybreak Online Book Club posted this when the new group started in April:
For the books this summer I went with an ocean theme to go along with the Summer Reading theme: ..."

Ok, I'm going to go with that. I'm not sure what that means, though. So I'm going to pick some books, and then if I didn't get the theme right, I'm going to end up reading both sets of books.

[Greg]

Greg wrote: "Debbie wrote: "Kim, the moderator of the Daybreak Online Book Club posted this when the new group started in April:
For the books this summer I went with an ocean theme to go along with the Summer ..."

oh. It looks like the county library site has enough info upon which to make informed choices. Thanks!

[Deborah]

I Finished another Star Wars book for the challenge. I finished reading Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zhan a couple days ago. You all were right...it is a pretty good book and would have made an excellent movie.

[Audrey]

Deborah wrote: "I Finished another Star Wars book for the challenge. I finished reading Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zhan a couple days ago. You all were right...it is a pretty good book and would ..."

I haven't read it since college, but I really enjoyed it then and thought Zahn did a good job with characterization. His books are canon to me.

[Elizabeth]

Don't forget to let me know if you have read your choice for May. Did anyone watch Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disneyplus? If so, was it any good?

[Elizabeth]

Also, on a completely unrelated side note:
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is AWESOME!!!

[Audrey]

The library is my streaming service, so I don't pay for any channels at all.

[Deborah]

After staying up way too late, I finished Dark Force Rising this morning. I am enjoying this Star Wars kick. I think I will be able to fit in at least one more before the end of the month.

[Deborah]

My final list of Star Wars books for the Month of May. I really enjoyed this challenge. I most likely will read more (I need to finish the Thrawn Trilogy at a minimum), but I think that this is a wrap for this month.

1. Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama by Brian Daley
2. Star Wars, Episode V The Empire Strikes Back by Brian Daley
3. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: The Original Radio Drama by Brian Daley
4. Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zhan
5. Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zhan
6. William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace by Ian Doescher

[Audrey]

Zahn's The Last Command is really good (at least it was when I was in college).

[Deborah]

Audrey wrote: "Zahn's The Last Command is really good (at least it was when I was in college)."

I heard that, which is why I definitely intend to finish the series. So far I am loving it!

[Elizabeth]

Linda is our prize drawing winner for May 2022’s reading challenge for reading Star Wars: Choose Your Destiny (Book 2) A Luke & Leia Adventure.

Congratulations!

[Linda]

Thank you. That is exciting because I am not a Star Wars fan and I had a hard time finding a book I would enjoy.

[Elizabeth]

And then you read it more than once! I love it. :D

[Debbie]

Hooray Linda!