Review | James Earl Jones Reads The Bible (Audio CD) by James Earl Jones

Title: James Earl Jones Reads the Bible

Author:  James Earl Jones

Format:  Audio CD

Released: June 2009

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BLURB

* For the first time ever - the International Best Seller - James Earl Jones Reads The Bible, is now available on CD!!

Includes the entire New Testament - King James Version
Over 19 hours on 16 compact discs!
Digitally Re-mastered
Featuring a beautiful music soundtrack (background)

In a voice as rich as it is recognized, James earl Jones lends his narrative talents to the King James Version of the New Testament. In over 19 hours on 16 compact discs enhanced with a complete musical score, James Earl Jones interprets the most enduring book of our time utilizing the acclaimed actor's superb storytelling and skilled characterizations. Hailed as the greatest spoken-word bible version ever, and with almost half a million copies sold, this exquisite audio treasury is certain to enthuse and inspire.

James Earl Jones possesses the most recognized and rich narrative voice of the modern era. His film credits include The Lion King, Hunt for Red October, Star Wars, Field of Dreams, and many others, as well as being "the voice" of CNN. In this extraordinary box set, an incredible talent reads the New Testament of the Bible in its entirety. You will be mesmerized by Mr. Jones’ style and punctuation, and will listen to this beautiful recording over and over. Without doubt, the greatest spoken-word audio product ever produced on the Bible. Digitally re-mastered, and enhanced with a beautiful background music score, this will be a collection treasured for a lifetime.

Vader reads the Bible, what could be better? In all seriousness, this is a nice and relaxing way to hear the Bible. It's definitely better to read the words for yourself, but not everybody enjoys reading. The music is pretty loud but it doesn't drown out his voice or anything. It's all instrumental. Go get it from a library if you feel like you're going to "waste your money."

The value lies in the words being read. I would be interested in hearing what someone thinks of this if they've never heard these books of the Bible before. I've read them before but not in a while.

Nice experience. Well worth the time.

Review | Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Omen (Audio CD) by Christie Golden

Title: Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Omen

Author:  Christie Golden

Format:  Audio CD

Released: June 2009

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The Jedi Order is in crisis. The late Jacen Solo’s shocking transformation into murderous Sith Lord Darth Caedus has cast a damning pall over those who wield the Force for good: Two Jedi Knights have succumbed to an inexplicable and dangerous psychosis, criminal charges have driven Luke Skywalker into self-imposed exile, and power-hungry Chief of State Natasi Daala is exploiting anti-Jedi sentiment to undermine the Order’s influence within the Galactic Alliance.

Forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is on a desperate mission to uncover the truth behind Jacen’s fall to the dark side–and to learn what’s turning peaceful Jedi into raving lunatics. But finding answers will mean venturing into the mind-bending space of the Kathol Rift and bargaining with an alien species as likely to destroy outsiders as deal with them. Still, there is no other choice and no time to lose, as the catastrophic events on Coruscant continue to escalate. Stricken by the same violent dementia that infected her brother, Valin, Jedi Knight Jysella Horn faces an equally grim fate after her capture by Natasi Daala’s police. And when Han and Leia Solo narrowly foil another deranged Jedi bent on deadly destruction, even acting Jedi Grand Master Kenth Hamner appears willing to bow to Daala’s iron will–at the expense of the Jedi Order.

But an even greater threat is looming. Millennia in the past, a Sith starship crashed on an unknown low-tech planet, leaving the survivors stranded. Over the generations, their numbers have grown, the ways of the dark side have been nurtured, and the time is fast approaching when this lost tribe of Sith will once more take to the stars to reclaim their legendary destiny as rulers of the galaxy. Only one thing stands in their way, a name whispered to them through the Force: Skywalker.

- From the Hardcover edition.

I've only heard the audiobook, so I couldn't tell you how short/ long it was as a novel. Several side point events were intriguing, but yes, it did sound a lot like the first book in the series. Not much happened as far as major plotting goes.

More Jedi go nuts, Luke and Ben are still off on their exile journey following Jacen's footsteps.

Weak pts (spoiler alert):
- Maybe it's b/c I didn't read the book, but I really couldn't get into the new character. She's in the book/ audiobook a lot. (I think it was a 3 ch cycle.) By the end, I still don't really care what happens/ doesn't happen to her. You'd think if she's going to play a larger role in the story, she would fit in better. It kind of seemed like a completely separate story that just got thrown in to lengthen the page count
- pointless plot - I'm not sold on the whole "what went wrong with Jacen" thing. I mean every day life is often boring and mundane and repetitive, books aren't supposed to be that way. I shouldn't be sitting here thinking, wow, they really have run out of meaningful stories to tell.

Redeeming pts (spoiler alert):
- One long awaited love subplot creeps forward to a new level.
- relationships/ interactions b/t Han-Jaina and Luke-Ben are nice
- Tahiri's still hanging around and not completely out of the game... nice cliffhanger, props to the author and planning committee.

Review | Batman Begins Soundtrack

Name: Batman Begins

Music:  Soundtrack

Tracks: 12

Released: June 2005

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Track Listings

1. Vespertilio
2. Eptesicus
3. Myotis
4. Barbastella
5. Artibeus
6. Tadarida
7. Macrotus
8. Antrozous
9. Nycteris
10. Molossus
11. Corynorhinus
12. Lasiurus

I tend to listen to things obsessively, I'll admit that. On the way to and from work for over a month now, I've kept this CD going. It's that good. Pirates of the Carribbean 2 had kept that slot warm for the months prior to this one, but I think I found my new musical obsession. Heck, I'm listening to it right now, and I'm not driving... yes, I bothered to go out to my car, turn the car on, retrieve my CD, turn off the car, and walk all the way back into the house to play it while I work.

Review | Nancy Drew: Double Dare Compiliation - PC

Name:  Nancy Drew: Double Dare Compiliation

Gaming:  PC

Released: March 23, 2004

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Product Description

From the Manufacturer
Nancy Drew: Double Dare Compilation is a combination of two exciting games in one: Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand and Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake.

Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand

A first-person mystery adventure PC game, Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand lets players assume the identity of teenage super-sleuth Nancy Drew as she digs into the theft of a priceless Maya artifact.

You, as Nancy Drew, have taken on a summer intern position as Deputy Curator at the Beech Hill Museum in Washington, D.C. The museum specializes in ancient Maya culture and has just won a heated bidding war for the rights to borrow and display a strange Maya monolith recently excavated in Guatemala. While preparing for the exhibit Nancy learns about Maya culture and artifacts. When a thief nabs a prized piece from the museum, Nancy realizes that the missing artifacts may have more in common than just the thief’s signature scarlet handprint! In Secret of the Scarlet Hand Nancy’s investigation will take her outside the museum walls and into the U.S. capitol where she meets characters at the Mexican Consulate, visits a hospital, and takes the D.C. subway. Will Nancy be able to put the pieces of this ancient puzzle together? Or will the mystery remain entombed forever?

Features:

• Journal mode allowing Nancy to review important notes
• Mouse light tool illuminates cursor in darkened areas
• New "circular cursor" navigation for fluid movement in 3D environments
• Multiple environments for the player to search and discover
• Beautifully illustrated and detailed 360-degree 3-D environments
• New immersive puzzles that correlate to Nancy’s job as Deputy Curator
• Museum exhibit and Maya cultural facts woven into game play
• Two difficulty settings, Junior and Senior Detective, both of which offer help by allowing players to phone Nancy’s friends, Ned, Bess, and George.
• Online Hints and Tips message board available at www.herinteractive.com allows players to ask for and share clues and hints with other Nancy Drew fans.

For one player.

Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake

Assume the identity of teenage super-sleuth Nancy Drew as she rushes to help a friend tormented by a fearsome pack of phantom hounds.

A friend’s frantic note sends Nancy on the trail of a mysterious pack of dogs, whose glowing eyes and mournful howls threaten to chase her and her friend away forever. Locals say that the dogs have come back from the grave to protect the secrets of their master, who died long ago and was buried next to his beloved dogs. Players, as Nancy Drew, must use their detective skills to track the history of Mike Malone, the notorious gangster who once lived in the lakeside cabin recently purchased by Nancy’s friend. Are the ghostly legends true, or is there a flesh and blood answer to the dogs’ haunting howls? To solve the case Nancy ventures into the deep, dark woods surrounding the lake. Like a bird dog hot on a scent, she hunts down the history of Moon Lake and its residents in search of clues. Along the way she meets a variety of fascinating characters, all with something to hide.

Features:

• In-game journal helps players keep track of clues
• More than 30 activities and puzzles tie directly to storyline and give important clues
• Original high-quality music and sound effects
• Built-in game hints (but only if you want them)
• Great opportunity for collaborative sleuthing with family and friends
• A large cast of diverse and eclectic characters
• New puzzles and activities including bird identification
• Incredibly life-like environments, including extensive outdoor settings
• Enhanced dynamic sound system and real-time lighting effects
• 20+ hours of game play
• "Second Chance" option--no need to start over
• Two difficulty settings, Junior and Senior Detective, so both experienced and new detectives can have fun
• A sense of community where players can get live online hints and tips at www.herinteractive.com, as well as share their own clues with other Nancy Drew players and fans

For one player.

Product Description

Nancy Drew: Double Dare Compilation Pack takes you into he world of Nancy Drew, the world's greatest teenage detective! Mysterious ghost dogs, disappearing relics, and mysteries everywhere -- it's all in a day's work, when you become a young super-sleuth. Features Secret Of The Scarlet Hand and Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake. Test your thinking skills by solving the challenging quizzes and passing each level

I dare all Nancy Drew fans to take up this fun and very much doable duo. IMHO, Ghost Dogs has a more interesting story line than Secret of the Scarlet Hand, but both games are exciting, if mildly frustrating at times. Hint: use the online message boards for help and you'll have more fun. These two being about the 5th and 6th games made by Her Interactive, the graphics, character voices, story line, and overall script are great improvements over former pc games. I personally have not tried to play this game with my family, but the nature of the game is such that it is very family-friendly. Kids, young adults, and even some daring adult Nancy Drew fans will most likely enjoy both these games, but even if one disappoints, the likelyhood of both failing expectations is low.

Review | Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - Xbox

Name:  Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Gaming:  X-Box

Released: July 15, 2006

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Product Description

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic takes place just a few years after the Mandolorian Wars, thousands of years before the events in the Star Wars movies we know and love. Two Jedi, master Revan and his apprentice Malak, led the Republic's forces to victory and pursued the Mandalorians into deep space only to return as Dark Jedi at the head of a huge fleet of Sith warships. Only the Force powers of the Jedi Bastila prevented the Sith from overwhelming the Republic's weakened forces. At the start of the game Malak has usurped control of the Sith by betraying Revan and has attacked the ship carrying Bastila and yourself. In true Star Wars style, the game begins with a bang.

The storyline could have been a standard coming-of-age yarn but is instead a genuinely interesting adventure told with humor, compassion, and respect for the source material. Your character has a mystical bond with Bastila, and the two of you share some kind of connection to the Sith villains Darth Malak and Darth Revan. The game's planet-hopping adventures are driven by your exploration of these connections and how they relate to your larger goal of discovering the source of the Sith's sudden fleet. During your adventure you can explore side quests minor (such as racing swoops or gambling) and major (such as uncovering the fascinating back stories of your companions). Star Wars fans will get a kick out of the rich lore introduced in the game, particularly the Tatooine storyline that reveals the origin and history of the Sand People.

Gameplay is an abbreviated form of Wizards of the Coast's d20 Star Wars RPG game system--anyone who has played Dungeons & Dragons will be familiar with the abilities, stats, feats, and bonuses in this game. The player creates a character as a member of one of three starting classes (soldier, smuggler, scout) and then later chooses a Jedi class (guardian, consular, sentinel). Joining the player's character are other Jedi, warriors, thieves, droids, a wookiee, and even a Mandolorian. Unlike the faceless non-player characters of other games, each member of the supporting cast has an intriguing history and even agenda. Up to two of these other characters can join your character at any time. Depending on who you chose to take with you, new dialogue and even intra-party arguments come into the game (put the Mandalorian veteran with the Republic patriot and you'll see sparks fly). Combat is real-time turn-based, meaning the turns are seamless but the player has the option of pausing the action at any time to issue orders or direct any character to use a certain Force power, ability, feat, or item.

Graphics range from adequate to exceptional. Building and character models are not impressive--about what you get in GTA 3. Lightsaber graphics and environmental effects (like waving grass, clouds, and weather) bring the world to life. Battles are just brilliant, with characters pumping out blaster fire at Jedi who dash, dodge, and even deflect the bolts back toward their assailants. Complete with sounds straight out of the movies, the thrilling combat is pure Star Wars.

All in all, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a masterpiece of Star Wars gaming. The pacing, balance of action and dialogue, clever puzzles and quests, and loving attention to detail have set the bar very high for role-playing games in general and Star Wars games in particular. Consider this a must-have game.--Mike Fehlauer

Pros:
Captivating storyline
Clever dialogue
Star Wars feel
True story and dialogue support for either Light Side or Dark Side play
Brilliant combat graphics
Fascinating characters (the loyal--and homicidal--droid HK-47 is truly unique) Cons:
Occasional bugs in dialogue, movie playback
Cannot transfer equipped gear between characters while on your ship

Product Description Star Wars role playing experience with evolving characters including humans, droids & wookiees.

This game is by far one of the most awesome I've ever played. I really didn't know much about roleplaying, but it was not required to enjoy the game. You can customize and talk and just plain wander around the lovely planets and ships for hours on end.

The combat is intense without being finger-breaking.

The NPCs sometimes look the same, but the script and voice talent are superb.

I beat it ten times and still love it....which says something. Multiple plays are a must if you want to be good, evil, and experience all the great lines of dialogue.

Five Star Review ~ Ashlynn's Dreams @AsYouWishReview

Title: Ashlynn’s Dreams

Length: 208 pgs

Genre: YA, Science Fiction

Cover Artist: Timothy Sparvero

Available in Formats: Kindle/Paperback

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Blurb

Before she was kidnapped, Jillian Marie Antel Blairington was just an average bright, brave, headstrong child. She was excited for life in a new house with her Momma and new Daddy. Afterward, she's all that ... and so much more.

Held in a scientific facility, Jillian discovers her past-a family she never knew and a power she doesn't understand. With her ability now activated, she can enter and even shape a person's dreams. Jillian's been kidnapped, and her Gift has been triggered, so she can locate and save Benjamin Connelly, a brother she never even knew she had. She'd better master this strange ability quickly, though, because her life isn't the only one at stake. Her babysitter, Danielle Matheson, is being held as a hostage to ensure Jillian's full cooperation. Slowly, Jillian begins to learn more about her captor and the other genetically altered children held at the facility.

Join Jillian as she tries to survive the training being forced upon her, find her unknown brother, escape with Danielle, and work her way back to a normal life once more.

Review

Unlike any other book I've read, Ashlynn's Dreams grabs your attention. With Jillian and her southern drawl, Danielle's growing character bond, and Nadia's protectiveness. Southern drawl is the only way I can describe how Jillian talks, and to be honest it took me a bit to grasp reading such a strong southern accent. Which by the way shouldn't have been difficult since I used to have a heavy southern drawl myself.

The story is told in a few different characters' point of view though it was not hard to follow. Questions arise about Jillian, her past and how she came to be. As a reader I was curious about her ability or gift. The best part to me is as she trains she ends up growing stronger, learning how to control her ability, surprising even the doctors at the laboratory. Danielle, her babysitter, goes through all of this with her and so much more. Between the threats, attacks made to force her to cooperate, and the impossibilities Jillian and Danielle face together, there is no way they could have done it without each other.

The cover represents the story, making the book appealing to younger readers and adults alike. I'm curious now and past ready to pick up Nadia's Tears to see what it withholds. Nadia grew on me in this story so I can't wait to see what's next.

Review by Julia @ As You Wish Reviews

Mystery Monday | Top 10 Favorite Songs

List of top 10 favorite songs – in no particular order

1. New Worlds – Mass Effect 2 Soundtrack
2. The View of Palaven – Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack
3. Kingdom Dance – Tangled Soundtrack
4. Tali – Mass Effect 2 Soundtrack
5. From Western Woods to Beaversdam – Narnia (Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe) Soundtrack
6. Kasumi’s Stolen Memory DLC (all: Party Music, Infiltration, Making Our Escape, Death from Above)
7. The Battle – Narnia (Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe) Soundtrack
8. The First Battle – Gettysburg Soundtrack
9. Angry and Dead Again – Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides
10. The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) – Star Wars Ep 5: The Empire Strikes Back Soundtrack

Mystery Monday | Top 10 Favorite Restaurants

List of top 10 favorite restaurants:

1. Cheesecake Factory
2. Clinton Station Diner
3. Panera Bread
4. Gallop
5. Olive Garden
6. Cracker Barrel
7. Applebees
8. Ruby Tuesdays
9. Wendy’s
10. Smith and Wollensky in NYC

Mystery Monday | A little about myself...

I’ve been asked to share a little about myself.

I’m currently a high school chemistry teacher in a public school. The journey to this position has been interesting and not necessarily the traditional route. I studied Biology in college but realized I didn’t want to do research or become a doctor. Upon re-evaluating my life as a college senior, I discovered that I loved science at the high school level, where I could explore a vast array of topics one right after the other. Since my college (The College of New Jersey, formerly Trenton State College) was already known as a teacher’s college, I had no qualms about applying there for graduate school.

After receiving a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from TCNJ, I got a job teaching biology at a public school. First year of teaching is always a rough year, but mine seemed particularly ill-fitted. The next year I landed back at my old high school teaching chemistry, where I learned that I actually loved the subject about 20x more than I enjoyed biology. Soon thereafter, I realized I wanted to return to college to get the last few credits I needed to be fully certified to teach chemistry. I stayed at my old high school for a total of 4 years before the opportunity arose for me to take on the necessary college courses needed for certification. I finished those classes December of 2012, took the Praxis II exams at the end of January, got the Praxis II exam scores the end of February, and signed for my new job March 15, 2013. God certainly opened and closed a lot of doors to bring me to this point, but I’m confident this is a good place for me.

Teaching’s a wonderful career. Teaching science is especially rewarding because most students can do way more than they give themselves credit for. Unlocking that potential is a satisfying challenge. Teaching at the high school level also affords chunked time off during the summer. Most people who aren’t teachers only hear that and think we have it easy, but they don’t really think about the countless nights and weekend hours spent grading, creating tests, worksheets, powerpoints, etc for lessons, or lesson planning. I’m not complaining, just stating a fact few non-teachers come to realize on their own. The time off in the summer allows me to indulge in a side career as a writer.

People have asked if I’d like to write full time instead of teaching, but the more I think about that question, the more I like the way things are, part teaching and part writing. Chemistry’s a very organized, orderly subject, while writing allows for a wide range of creative outlets. Science fiction is especially fun because pretty much anything goes as long as you can explain it well.

Thanks for listening,

Julie C. Gilbert