WWE: Then. Now. Forever. Vol. 1

WWE: Then. Now. Forever. Vol. 1 by Dennis Hopeless
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the stories were great, some good, a couple of OK to disappointment, though it evens out to a good comic. I will have to admit my biased many of the characters were from my era of watching the WWF/WWE, so nostalgia plays a big factor. The firest was to review these is probably story by story:

Then. Now. Forever. The title story and rightfully so. It show a young Sasha Banks being inspired by a WWE Legend (actually this guy was a legend wherever he wrestled), to her own entrance and evulation in the WWE and passing the legacy on. Short and too the point. I have never seen Sasha Banks wrestle so the rating is not nostalgia based. 5 Stars easy.

Tug Team. Tug Boat Vs the Earthquake a newspaper style short story that shows being a jerk comes back to haunt you. 3.5 Stars.

WWE SDCC 2016 One-page comic feature Stone Cold, The Rock, Triple H, John Cena, The New Day, Sasha Banks, The Undertaker, and Dusty Rhodes. Short and to the point show the point managing to show the characters evulation, finishers, and historic moments all in one page each. Anyone who thingks this is less then 5 stars is not and never was a wrestling fan. 5 Stars

Ladder Match. I remember this being the first Ladder Match I ever saw. The participants Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. As much as I love that match this is poor mans parody of the match. The dialogue is rubbish with the exception of one signature move in the match. I might have given this 3 stars but they managed to ruin a damn good match. An angry 2 Stars

The Long Con Triple H takes center stage going back to the time of his injury (what would have been to anyone else a career ending injury) to his come back, and a big plan in the background. 5 Stars

Your Good, But… Daniel Bryan's story. (He will always be Bryan Danielson ROH Champion and MVP to me) very well condensed and managing the get most of the important point across. 5 Stars

Kevin Owens comic. The story of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn storyline. A solid 5 Stars

I wined and dined with kings and queens. Dusty Rhodes Vs Randy Savage (the Macho King). A bit slow, concentrating more on the fans. 3 Stars

In The Mandible madness. This was one of the biggest betrayals in WWF\WWE history. A well done condensed version of this pivotal Undertaker Vs Mankind match. Getting all the important moments. Easy 5 stars

The Natural Disasters Vs the Bushwhackers. In every meeting of these two teams the Bushwhackers got destroyed. This is a short food fight/backstage brawl between the two teams. Was ok nothing special 3 Stars

Give the demon his due. Seth Rollins on dealing with the pressure/terror of dealing with the demonic Finn Dalor. From the mental side of the game and easy 5 Stars

The New Day’s Optimistic Odyssey. A pink and fluffy time travel adventure again was ok but did nothing for me. 3 Stars

The Warrior’s Path. The man that ignited my passion for wrestling. The (storyline) origin of the Ultimate Warrior. I could not give this less then 5 Stars

The Brawler and the beast. An short that tries to be in the form of a folk tale, with little action and a bit of an easy resolution for me. 3 Stars

Welcome Home. The Wyatt family\cult living up to their characters. Did nothing for me 2 Stars

Ten John Cena telling a story about his drive and grit. 5 Stars

Damien’s Dinner A look through the eyes of Jake "the Snake" Roberts 5 Stars

The Gravest Mistake the promo for the Undertaker Vs Kamala. I remember seeing the original promo and this is pretty accurate, but I took one star away as it was not really a note to finish the story on, especially after having In The Mandible madness earlier in the book. 4 Stars

Then there is the cover gallery of the variant covers of the books featured in this. All in all a good solid effort and collection of stories yes nostalgia plays a part but that is what being a fan is all about.

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The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book to be written by someone of any age and the fact that it is written by a 13 year old is amazing. The book reads like a FAQ of questions that anybody especially a parent of children with Autism or Asperger Syndrome have asked/shouted at their children about why they keep doing certain things. I bought this book after a particularly heated argument with my 8 year old. this book did help at the very least it told me that many of the things I questions e.g. "Why do you keep doing the same thing after I have told you a million times not to?". Yes all kids do this but is Autistic and AS children seem to take it to another level. In between questions we are threated to a couple of short stories written by Naoki. these are great and remember the boy was only 13 when he wrote this book. It shows that creative writing is definitely Naoki's outlet and wrenches at my heart that such a creative and intelligent boy has so much problem communicating verbally or in person.

Two thing to remember about this book. Everyone with Autism or AS is different, but they do share many traits, so as insightful as Naoki's views are for himself might now apply to all children/people. However it does offer a first hand perspective which is otherwise unheard of. the other is the message/theme that Naoki is trying to get across. "DON'T GIVE UP ON US". Yes they might keep doing the same thing when they are told not to, but you still have to keep telling them not to till maybe on the ten million and one time it might get through to the child then they know it for life. As Naoki points out they might not look like it but they are learning slowly but surely they are. This book is a great insight into a great and creative mind that has been trapped inside a body with fewer outlets then are available to the rest of us, however with patience and understand many other children could be allowed to find their own outlet and unleash their ideas on the world.

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Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me

Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me by Lily Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I liked Lily Collins the actress (in fact she is one of the few actresses of who I would go to watch a movie simply as it has her name on it), after reading the book I really respect lily Collins the person and the writer. This is not a self help book but more like number of therapy secession written down. Lily shares a troubling experience (nothing in her life is off limit), boyfriend/relationship issues, body type issues, or even bulimia.

This is not a celebrity whining about how they had everything but were not happy. This is Lily discovering and overcoming everyday obstacles in her life. Yes Lily is very young you think how many obstacles could she possible have? She has the same things all the rest of us had growing up, maybe a few less the some few more then others. The thing is young people usually tend to listen to young people. She it the right age (possible looking younger is a bonus) were a young person might thing she is wise but not an adult telling them what to do. Being a celebrity definitely helps her get her message across. Part of the message is that people with these problem are not alone, the longest chapter in this book is the acknowledgements where Lily give thanks to many of the people who have not only helped he out during her life, but also called her on her mistakes. Immediately following this is a section full of address of useful website and organisations for some of these problems and other organisations she has been involved with.

If you are looking for just an autobiography of Lily Collins this is not that, but if you do read it you will have a much better understanding or who Lily Collins the person is that just an autobiography would give you. One of the ways I judge a book is if I am a bigger fan of the person or gaing more respect for the person after reading their book. This is definitely the case here. I would definitely be interested in both watching and reading more of work. I definitely recommend this book to fans of Lily Collins or young people going through a hard time growing up.

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Leia: Princess of Alderaan

Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

She nailed it spot on. Claudia Grey nailed Leia’s character and characteristics perfectly. I don’t mean to disrespect anybody but I honestly don’t think anyone could have written a better origin story for Leia.

At the beginning of the book, I felt a little disappointed that it was going to be a about young Leia, but book was incredible. Like I said Claudia showed every aspect of Leia’s personality. The princess, the warrior, the patient in-control negotiator, and fiery tempered hellcat.

This Leia’s coming of age story. However another great think about this books is also that Claudia did a great job on the side characters. As any Star Wars fan knows how much Leia’s “father” Bail Organa was involved in the rebellion, but not enough credit was given to her “mother” Breha. Many of her talents if not learned from nurture it was definitely enhanced from there. The final not of praise is the was research and loose ends and cameos in this book. For me everything is this book was spot on.

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Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions

Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions by Russell Brand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book and more then I actually did. I wanted to give this book 3.5 stars. It might be the fact that I actually do like Russell Brand and the message of the behind the book more than I actually liked the book.

There are parts of the book that are very good to great, but there are parts that are a bit out of place a couple of Russell’s antidotes seem out of place and I am not sure the go with the step he was trying to portray.

One of the the things that does come across is the idea that this is not an easy process. It is hard work. Whatever a person is addicted to (in my case coffee), they (I) could think of a hundred different justifications why it is ok. Even thought I know I am addicted I am ok with it I am allowed one vice right? The program goes through the process of saying no it is not ok. It is also no good replacing one addiction with another. Also once a addiction is beaten it is a constant battle not to relapse.

The other message Russell preaches/talks of is he was probably more of a mess then most most people do if it could work for him I can work for anyone. One thing that does not probably help this book is Russell is naturally a funny man, but he is talking about a very serious subject where humor works against it. Thought adding a load of F-bombs do not make things funnier or relatable.

All in all quite a heavy book, but someone who has had success with this program, and wants others to enjoy the same thing. However he does remind the reader just because he is on the right path now it is a constant battle for him, and there are people who can’t be saved, do not want to be saved or fall back in their old habits. The battle ground of the soul is constant.

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Wings of Spirit (Protected by Dragons, #3)

Wings of Spirit by G. Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very good book. Usually I get bored if the book is a bit slow, they first quarter of the book is very slow, but the characters and story is so likable that it more then makes up for this. the Last quater of the book is pack to the brim with revelations some we already knew other a bit more of a surprise.

There are also the threads from the other books that are picked up towards the end and big things to come from the series. Now with more of the things in place I am hoping for more action and Dragons in the next book.

Everything comes with a price when it comes to knowledge and magic. What is Isola willing to pay to save her Dragon guards from the curse, and earn the respect and support of her people to reclaim her throne. However Dragca might not be the only world she need to save.

I really like the way things are coming together in this series I like all the characters and the roles they play in the series. I all hoping that they will be a bit more action in the next couple of books as we come to the finally. G Bailey is a mistress of cliffhanger ending that make me want to get the next book now.

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Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul

Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul by Mark D. White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am not a Philosopher, and truly the only way anyone will get me to read a Philosophy book is to put Batman/Star War in the title or on the cover and making either the subject matter. The book is very informative on philosophical theories, (I will be the first to admit would have been lost on me), and well researched in the world of Batman.

The thing that attracted me to this book was, discussion style format. All of us who are comic book fans love to discuss out favorite stories, characters (their directions, development and decisions), and who would win in a fight between them. I admit my reason for being able to quote Aristotle at my next comic book argument, or point out that well learned and scholars in their field are also comic book/Batman fans.

The book is not a light read and I actually got more then I was expecting for it, on a Goodreads note I was glad to have my 100 book as heavier read. One of the issues that is brought up is Batman being a fictional character, should he be revered, or looked at as an example? Questions like should he kill the Joker fit in with arguments to an for capital punishments in the real world. Also you cannot have a debate about batman without the shadow of death, and the continuing debate of death itself credit to the author and contributors for giving both sides of every argument.

The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is there are a couple of sections in the middle that were for hardcore linguists or philosophers which I felt went slightly off topic and were over analyzed for my tastes. This could be a personal prejudice on my part as I hate linguistics, but that is me. However this is a great book that use the fiction characters to highlight issues and theories that are in the real world. I personally though the second last chapter using the relationship of Batman and Nightwing to reconcile the debate of Aristotle and Immanuel Kant, was inspired and definitely holds true in the real world.

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