Tag: Neil Gaiman

My Star Wars Weekend Update

Happy weekend my Star Wars friends!

This past week I’ve been mostly trying to keep up with my reading. I was so excited to get The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott but it’s been slow going, mostly because I’m (of course) reading other things at the same time. It’s also off to a slow start, though still quite good, and from what I understand it’s the second half of the book that really packs a punch. And I’ve finally gotten to a Loden Greatstorm chapter, so very happy about that, although things are looking quite grim for him just now 😦

On my Kindle I’ve been reading A Test of Courage, by Justina Ireland, the middle grade book that came out in the first wave of the High Republic books. I wasn’t planning on reading it, but I mentioned last week that I accidentally bought it on my Kindle, so figured I might as well read it. And it’s quite good, considering it’s for the 8-12 year old market. A fairly simple story of a group of kids, some Jedi, some not, stranded on a challenging planet with some Nihil. I’m glad to get to know Jedi whiz kid Vernestra Rwoh, the youngest person ever to make Jedi Knight at 15. She hasn’t been in the adult or young adult novels yet, although I think she’ll be in the next YA novel Out of the Shadows, again by Justina Ireland, coming out later this month (which I’ve pre-ordered, of course).

The third book I’ve been paging through is Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman, which I also mentioned last week. I’m about halfway done with it, and it’s quite entertaining to me considering my newfound obsession with the subject, which stems from my love of the new Disney+ series Loki. I have a bit of Swedish blood in me, so I feel that my interest in all things Norse is quite natural and right, lol. I had this crazy thought the other day that maybe I’ll study some kind of northern European language like Swedish, Danish or Finnish, but really my inspiration came from this scene in Loki (which is actually Norwegian):

Loki’s not drunk, he’s “full.” Very full.

Translated to English, the lyrics are:

In storm-blackened mountains I wander alone

Across glaciers I travel forth

In the apple orchard the fair maiden stands

And sings “When will you come home?”

It’s very haunting and beautiful, and I can’t stop thinking about it, lol. And I’ve wanted to do something different, something that’s fun and interesting and that will challenge my mind a little bit. Or a lot, lol. We’ll see.

Anyway, loving Loki and kind of sad that the last episode is coming up, but I’m dying to see what happens. I have this feeling that events will somehow segue into future films, but all I really want is for Loki and Sylvie to live happily ever after, and for Mobius to finally get his jet ski. Is that too much to ask? (Probably).

Hope you guys have a great weekend, and let me know in the comments what you’ve been up to!

My Star Wars Weekend Update

Happy weekend fellow Star Wars fans!

So, I must apologize for not having a Bad Batch review for the last two episodes, “Reunion” and “The Lost Bounty.” Still watching, still loving it, but never got around to the reviews. I’ve been been posting less here (but posting on my other blog, The Star Wars Reader, which has been much neglected lately), mostly because I’m doing more reading right now. Not that there are riots in the streets or anything, but I’ll get back to reviews on Monday.

So what am I reading? Well, as you may know, I’m a huge fan of the High Republic, and the second adult novel, The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott, was just released, so I’ve gotten right into that. I’ve got that in hardcover, but I always have a book on my Kindle that I read at work on my breaks, and the one I just finished is called Loki: Where Mischief Lies, by Mackenzi Lee. You might also know that I’ve been in a Loki obsession lately, courtesy of the new Disney+ series, and just happened to come across this book on Kindle. I picked it up and just couldn’t put it down.

It’s a story that takes place before the events of the Marvel movies, and Loki and Thor are a bit younger (by, oh, I don’t know, a hundred years or so) and centers around Loki and a character named Amora. She’s the apprentice of a sorceress of Odin, and by a series of unfortunate events she gets banished to Midgard, or Earth. Loki finds himself there years later, on a mission from Odin and encounters her there. It’s the late 19th, early 20th century, and she poses as a spiritualist. She calls herself the Enchantress, and later, uses the pseudonym of Sylvie (hmmm….). He also meets a group of people who call themselves the SHARP Society, who know about Asgard and work for Odin to help with otherworldly visitors to Earth. Loki suggests they change their name to SHIELD (hmmm…..). Anyway, it’s a very entertaining book, and I loved it.

Also, because of said obsession, I bought the book Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman. Besides Loki’s charming personality, I think I’m interested in the character because he comes from actual mythology. Loosely based, of course, but I find it interesting that the writers of the movies and shows throw in little tidbits that come from the myths. For instance, one story from the book is about Loki cutting off Sif’s hair (in the myth, she is golden-haired, and the wife of Thor); in the latest episode of Loki, Mobius puts him in a sort of punishment time-loop, and Sif (from the Thor movies) comes to him furious for cutting off some of her hair, slapping him and kicking him in the groin. Over and over and over, lol. It’s fun to pick out little things like that.

This is a gorgeous cover.

My blogging friend, Julie G, and I may take turns doing some mini-reviews of the chapters in this book, so stay tuned for that if you’re interested.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing this past week. What have you been up to lately? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!