Sunday, August 14, 2022

{Sunday Post} - The Dominion War, Section 31, and The Search for Spock


Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer!



Good Morning, Bloggers!


"So many books . . .no place to put them . . .and so little time to read them."  


The Lost Bookmark 


In January, I had preordered two bookmarks (Gilmore Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) from Trends International. The bookmarks were supposed to ship in March. As many of you already know, my grandmother died from COVID-19 complications on January 29th, which threw my life off balance. I had forgotten about the bookmarks until the tail-end of July and contacted Trends's customer support. They were super-fast in responding. The Buffy bookmark was discontinued (though I've seen it for sale on eBay) for reasons not provided. They refunded me in full via PayPal and said they were sending me the Gilmore Girls bookmark for free. A few days later, I received a UPS packaging containing a Sunsets 2023 mini-calendar from Trends International. I never ordered a calendar. My birthday isn't until September, so it wasn't a gift from someone. Then I checked the "carton packing list" and noticed "Gilmore Girls - Premier Bookmark" in the description. I contacted customer service, and they replied, stating it was a warehouse error and that they were still sending the bookmark. As you can see in the above photo, I finally got my hands on the Gilmore Girls bookmark. 
 

I Forgot to Mention ...


After I getting everything set up for this post I realized I had forgotten to include The Disappearance by Bentley Little in the "What's New on the Bookshelf?" section. While shopping at a "Wally World," I picked up The Disappearance by Bentley Little. I used to read his book, but haven't been able to find them in stores. The Disappearance was first published in 2010. The one I got is the new Berkley reprint.

I found The Conjuring 2 Blu-ray at a Dollar Tree for $1.25. I own it on DVD, so this is a cheap upgrade. 

Update - I went to my town's Dollar Tree on Saturday and picked up three movies, and since I'm too lazy today to take another photo, I'm just going to list them - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Satanic Panic, and All Hallow's Eve 2. I might be the majority, but I love the Don't Be Afraid of the Dark remake. I've owned it on DVD for many years, so the Blu-ray is an upgrade. It's a Canadian/French edition. I don't speak French, but the good news is it's also in English. (FYI - Canadian Blu-rays are in Region A and can be played on USA players.) The other two movies are on DVD, and I've never seen either. 


Weekly Tidbits


  • I'm doing some switcharoos on review dates. So, if you've been looking for my White Elephant review, don't worry it's coming as soon as I finish writing it.  

  • The KC Chiefs lost their first preseason game of 2022. 

  • The KC Royals' new youngster team improved with their battings, though the starting pitching and bullpen still need new guidance.

  • I made the mistake of suggesting putting a wallpaper border on the soffit in my mother's kitchen. She liked the idea, but instead of wallpaper, she got a kitchen wall decal. Being the good son I am, I cleaned the soffit and painted two coats of white paint. I'll let the paint dry for a few days before putting on the decal. Here's the problem - by the naked eye, you can tell the difference between new and old paint. I'll have to paint the entire kitchen and dining room area (in the same room.) I don't mind panting. It's the prep (cleaning, masking tape) I hate. Then there's the table & chairs, a cookbook bookcase, and buffet cabinet full of ceramics that'll I have to move out of the way. 




What Am I Reading?


It's Friday afternoon, and I'm on page 139 of The Bourne Sacrifice. I haven't had time to read more of Star Trek: Avenger or listen to Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. All three are high on my priority list, and, crossing my fingers, I'll finish them over the weekend.



Recent Reviews

Crossfire
★★

The Foe of Barnabas Collins
★★★★★


What's in the Mail?


Left on my doorsteps this morning (Friday) by a UPS delivery driver was a package from William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins) containing the novel Girl, Forgotten by Kare Slaughter.


More Star Trek Books


For the life of me, I cannot figure out why I never took an interest in reading Star Trek novels in the 1990s. I was still watching Deep Space Nine during my teenage years but quit watching Voyager shortly after Seven of Nine came aboard. My reading tastes at the time were horrors, such as Stephen King, Anne Rice, and John Saul, and the only tie-ins on my bookshelves were Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files.

On Wednesday afternoon, I received The Dominion War - Books 1-4 that I'd won from an eBay auction. The books were published in 1998 when I was a seventeen-year-old. I wasn't even aware of the 4-part series' existence until many years later. Book One (Behind Enemy Lines) and Book Three (Tunnel Through the Stars) are TNG stories set after First Contact and, I believe, before Insurrection. Book Two (Call to Arms) and Book Four (Sacrifice of Angels) are DS9 stories based on the episodes "A Call to Arms," "A Time to Stand," "Sons and Daughters," "Rocks and Shoals," "Behind the Lines," "Favor the Bold," and "Sacrifice of Angels."


Even More Star Trek Books


I more or less got dragged to an antique store on Wednesday by my mother. I have nothing against antique stores, but the prices are usually over-priced, especially for books. That wasn't the case for this store, where I stumbled across five Star Trek books. It was exciting because I rarely run across Star Trek novels in the wild (a.k.a. - used bookstores, thrift stores, and antique stores). Shockingly, the prices were in my purchase zone.

I first laid eyes on Deep Space Nine: Section 31 - Abyss by David Weddle and Jefferey Lang in a booth with lots of comic books and geeky things. I didn't see the price tag right away. As I grabbed the paperback off the shelf, I silently chanted, "Please be cheap. Please be cheap." I smiled when I saw the $2 price tag. Not too far over, I spotted another DS9 book - The Way of the Warrior by Diane Carey. Its price was also $2.

Section 31 was originally a 4-book series published in 2001 by Pocket Books. A fifth book came out in 2014, and a sixth (and final) book in 2017. They are thematically linked standalone stories. Abyss is the fourth book in the series.

Way of the Warrior is the novelization of the two-part fourth season premiere of Deep Space Nine. It was a big deal for Trekkies in 1995 when Michael Dorn joined the cast, reprising his role of Worf from TNG.

There was another booth with tons of unorganized hardbacks and paperbacks. Someone stacked the books like a giant Jenga puzzle, and I carefully browsed all of them. I was hoping to find a C.J. Box mystery or a Mark Greaney thriller but lucked out in finding either. However, I did find three more Star Trek books - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock by Vonda N. McIntyre, New Frontier: Gateways - Cold Wars by Peter David, and Voyager: Mosaic by Jeri Taylor.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was $2.50, and as you can see from the photo, the cover has some wear & tear. Not to worry, it's nothing transparent tape can't cure. It's a novelization of the third film, otherwise known as my favorite TOS movie. I either owned a copy at one point or borrowed it from a library during my childhood. The beginning details the aftermath of Spock's death at the end of Star Trek II: The Warth of Khan. Unlike the film, the Enterprise takes its time returning to Earth Spacedock. The crew mourns for Spock and the other crewmembers who died during the battle. David Marcus and Savvik have a bit more to do aboard the Enterprise before being assigned to the USS Grissom. If I remember correctly, the Enterprise gets in a skirmish with the Klingons early on, which explains why, in the movie, there's more exterior damage when the ship arrives at Earth Spacedock.

New Frontier: Gateways - Cold Wars by Peter David was also $2. Star Trek: New Frontier series was the first original Star Trek book series not tied to television or film series. It centers on Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the USS Excalibur. Cold Wars is the sixth entry in the seven-book miniseries Gateways. The first five are each set in the other Star Trek tie-in series (TOS, Challenger, TNG, DS9, Voyager), and the final book contained six novellas that served as endings for the previous installments.

Star Trek: Voyager: Mosaic was $3, and it's the only book out of the five that I already have on Kindle. The hardcover is in near-mint condition.  


What's New on the Bookshelf?


I need to start reading David Baldacci's novels because I picked up four more titles by the author - The Hit, End Game, Spilt Second, and The Collector. Where did I get them? The thrift store, of course. There had to be a special sale because I only paid 70 cents for three paperbacks and three hardbacks. Wait a minute . . .you bought six books? Yep. I also picked up Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Deception by Eric Van Lustbader and Dean R. Koontz: A New Collection, featuring three complete novels (Shattered, Whispers, and Watchers). 



11 comments:

  1. Lots of new books. Lots and lots of new books. Hope you enjoy them. And glad you got at least one of the bookmarks to enjoy.

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  2. I've only seen Search for Spock once but I love Wrath of Khan. I can see where the novelization of Search would be fun. Great haul! I'm starting to keep an eye out now at antique stores and whatnot because you can score some book finds there if you get lucky...

    Cool bookmark.

    Greg @ Book Haven

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! That was a lot of hassle to get a bookmark! I mean, I would've done the same had I seen a bookmark I wanted, but just wow. I can't believe it took them that long. But glad you finally got the one!

    Nice new reads too! Those are new to me ones but I hope you enjoy them!


    Here's my StS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Girl Forgotten in the mail! Enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm sure your mom appreciate you painting her whole kitchen.
    Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your thrifting hauls remain impressive. Both in volume and selection! The Baldacci books should be good (I've read most of his) Split Second is the first in a good series and The Hit is from the Robie series which I quite liked. Happy Reading ahead....
    Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
    https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-11

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've heard good things about Baldacci but haven't read anything by him. I got Redemption for $3 at a Dollar General a week or two ago.

      Delete
  7. Preseason doesn't mean anything, especially the first game when mostly backups are playing. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was bored to death by halftime and switched the TV off. Broadcasting the preseason games seems pointless.

      Delete
  8. Love the new bookmark! Also, I didn't realize there was a sequel to The Conjuring! Need to watch.

    ReplyDelete

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