Book Review: Be More Vader

Christian Blauvelt, Be More Vader: Assertive Thinking from the Dark Side. New York: DK Publishing, 2018. ISBN: 9781465477361. 

Genre: Star Wars

Subgenre: business, work, advice

Format: small hardback

Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library  

Note: Turns out DK is owned by PRH, so this book would've fallen under my publishers' boycott. However, it falls under the "oops exception." Also, since it was a library book, I did not spend money on it.   

This small book is in essence a career advice book with Darth Vader as the model of rising to power. If you are stuck in a rut at work, and you want to get ahead, ask "What would Vader do?"

At 63 pages, this slim volume offers a good amount of advice. The book is arranged in five parts: 

• Starting Out.
• Getting Established. 
• Seeking Promotion.
• Working with Colleagues.
• Becoming a Leader. 

Every section features an entry with a bit of advice. Each entry features a photo from a scene in one of the films, a quote from a film, the advice, and a short explanation. Photos are in color. Theme aside, the career advice is practical. These are tips you can use in your career to improve and climb that ladder. Some advice examples include: 

• Find a mentor.
• Refine your negotiation skills.
• Insist on proper recognition.
• Lead by example. 
• Give credit where credit is due.

The book combines serious, basic, and practical advice with some light dark humor.  It is a very easy read, and you can probably read it in one sitting. 

This book can be a good gift for a young Star Wars fan, maybe even for a school or college graduate starting out. I do recommend it for libraries. The copy I borrowed was shelved in the business section, but you could shelve it with other Star Wars books. 

I greatly enjoyed this one. The book is no big deal, so to speak, but it is a light, practical, and humorous at times guide to success from one of the great strong leaders from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. So I am giving it the full 5 out of 5 stars.  

 

Book qualifies for the following 2025 Reading Challenge: 

 

 

 

Book Review: LEGO Star Wars Ideas Book

Hannah Dolan, et.al., LEGO Star Wars Ideas Book. New York, NY: DK Publishing, 2018. ISBN: 9781465467058.

 

Genre: art and photography

Subgenre: Star Wars, LEGO, children and YA

Format: coffee table book

Source: Berea branch, Madison County (KY) Public Library

This big coffee table book features "more than 200 games, activities, and building ideas." One of the features are ideas to reuse or create new things with specific LEGO sets (assuming you might want to take apart that one nice set you put together). 

The book is arranged as follows: 

• Recreate. Recreate moments from Star Wars. 
• Expand. Expand and reimagine scenes and situations in Star Wars. 
• Challenge. Games you can create with LEGOs.
• Use it. Create some practical things like a piggy bank or a vase. 

A strength of the book is the photography. Even if you are not a builder, this book is a pleasure to view. The photos are in full color, and we get a lot of creativity on display. 

The text is easy to read. However, we do not get detailed instructions for the items. Some illustrations show parts of the process, but for the most part builders need ability to figure out how things fit together based on a photo. Some better instructions could have made this book a lot more than a nice art book. 

Overall, I really liked this book. I loved the photos. This can be a good book for children, though they may need some adult help with some of the project, or the adults may need the kid's help. If you are a fan of Star Wars and/or LEGO, you will enjoy this book. 

4 out of 5 stars.  

Note: DK Publishing is an imprint of Penguin Random House, one of the four publishers that I am boycotting due to their lawsuit against Internet Archive. However, I was reading this book prior to March 27, 2023 when my boycott went in effect. I am posting the review, but I am not actively sharing it on social media.

Top Nonfiction Read in 2022

Today I am looking at the top nonfiction books I read in 2022. These are not necessarily books published in 2022. According to my end of year reading list and report, I read 42 nonfiction books. Out of those, I have eight books that I rated either four or five stars out of five stars that I am sharing now. If I have a review posted for the book, I am including the link. The list is in no particular order. 

Giuliani: the Rise and Tragic Fall of America's Mayor.

Made in China: a Prisoner, an S.O.S. Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods.

From my review: "This is a moving book that draws you in. It tugs at the heart at times. I will add it may not be for some sensitive readers, but I think as many people as possible need to read it, more so if it makes them uncomfortable."

 

 The Playbook: How to Deny Science, Sell Lies, and Make a Killing in the Corporate World.

 Gangsters Vs. Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in Wartime America.

 

From my review: "This is a book about a part of U.S. history that few people may know about. Yes, the U.S. had a Nazi past (you could argue it still does have a Nazi and fascist present), which many in the U.S. often ignore. Thus this is a must read. It is a book that reveals a part of U.S. history mostly forgotten until now."

 

 The King of Confidence: a Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch.

 

From my review: "This book is not just a biography. It is a well written history of the United States at the time through the lens of James Strang's life. You are bound to learn new things and/or see them in a different light from reading this book."

 

 The Library: a Fragile History.

From my review: "This book aims to be a history of libraries from antiquity to the modern era. It is not just about libraries. It is also about books, collectors, book sellers, a lot of wealthy people, and folks who had the title of librarian, whether they deserved it or not."

 

 

 Star Wars Year by Year: a Visual History.

From my review: "This is another excellent coffee table book from DK Publishing.  The book looks at the history of Star Wars from it development in the 1960s to The Mandalorian. It covers from 1914-1972, before Star Wars, to 2021. "

 Allow Me to Retort: a Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution.

 From my review: "If you are stuck having to argue with some Republican/conservative about the 'greatness' of the document, this book explains exactly why they are wrong most if not all of the time. So read this book and keep it handy. "

Book Review: Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History

Various authors, Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History. New York: Dorling Kindersley (DK)  Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9780744028645.

 

Genre: nonfiction, photography, coffee table books, art

Subgenre: Star Wars, history, pop culture

Format: Hardcover, coffee table

Source: Berea branch, Madison County (KY) Public Library

 

 

 

This is another excellent coffee table book from DK Publishing.  The book looks at the history of Star Wars from it development in the 1960s to The Mandalorian. It covers from 1914-1972, before Star Wars, to 2021. 

The book starts looking at the early influences that would lead to Star Wars. From there, the book goes by decade then by year in every decade. The book not only looks at Star Wars. It also looks at historical events, pop culture moments, news of the time, and other events going on at the time. We get big events as well as small happenings all going on as Star Wars grew and developed. 

For fans like me who have been with Star Wars from the beginning, this book brings back a lot of memories. We see the films, the toys, the collectibles, and many other items of interest. For new folks, this is a great book to see where and how it developed to grow into the juggernaut it is now. Text is nice and concise. 

 

A strength of the book is in the photography. The book is laid out a bit like a photo album or a scrapbook, with photos in various sizes. This is a very visual book, one that lends itself to browsing at leisurely pace. 

Overall, this book is a must have for Star Wars fans and collectors. This is one I would definitely buy for my book collection. This is also a book I would recommend for libraries, especially for public libraries. The book is informative, visually appealing, and a work of art as well. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Miscellaneous short booknotes

These are some short quick reviews of items I've read recently, but that may not need a regular review, or I just do not have the time to write a long review or feel like writing one. Anyhow, here we go.

Kia Asamiya, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace- Manga. Volumes 1 and 2. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, 1999.

This is the two-volumes manga adaptation of the film. Dark Horse basically
takes the Japanese manga adaptation and translates it into English. Overall, the manga looks good, and it is pretty faithful to the film. It's an easy and fun read overall, and I really liked them.

4 out of 5 stars.

ISBN (Vol. 1): 1-56971-483-5.
ISBN (vol. 2): 1-56971-484-3.


Randel Plowman, curator. Masters: Collage: Major Works by Leading Artists.. New York: Lark Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-60059-108-2.

Another volume in the Masters series of art books from Lark Books. This one looks at 40 artists who create collages in a broad range of forms from retro art to abstract art. The curator/editor picked these forty artists from a list of 200 plus artists to present "the work of some of the most exceptional collage artists working today" (7). Overall, it is a nice book to look over. Quality in the art can vary; I liked some of the pieces better than others, but your mileage can vary.

3 out of 5 stars.


Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, Are We Out of the Driveway Yet? Zits Sketchbook 11. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-7407-6199-7.

The 11th sketchbook collection in the popular series where the authors catch teenage character and
angst oh so well. Maybe a bit too well because I'll be honest, if I was Jeremy's parent, I might have smacked him once or twice for his misbehavior. The authors also catch well what it is like to be parents of a teenager. Highlights in this volume include Jeremy learning to drive, online package tracking, and other hijinks. Overall, I really liked it for a light and entertaining read.

4 out of 5 stars.


Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, Dance Like Everybody's Watching. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-4494-9511-4.

This collection is an oversized volume. If features weekly strips in black and white and full color for the Sunday strips. Highlights here include Jeremy working at the grocery store missing the plantains (believe me, for Puerto Ricans and other Latinos, that is funny), Jeremy losing his cell phone (how can you tell time without it?), and looking over DNA results. Again, if you enjoy this series, you'll like this one. It is fun, light, and humorous reading. I really liked it.

4 out of 5 stars.


Jim Davis, Garfield Slurps and Burps: His 67th Book. New York: Ballantine Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781984817730.

The series keeps on going. Strips in this volume start on Christmas season, which felt timely for me
as I read it around Thanksgiving at the time. There is not much really new here. These comics are basically comfort reading; by now you know what you are getting. A highlight in this volume is Jon not knowing what to do with the telephone land line he forgot he had.  Made me wonder if there are people like that out there. In the end, I liked it. It's cute, amusing, and a quick read.

3 out of 5 stars.


Christine Heap, Big Book of Trains. East Rutherford, NJ: DK Publishing, 1998.  ISBN: 978-0-7894-3436-4.

An oversize book from the National Railway Museum in York, England. It is a big picture book for
children, and it is pretty good. The book features some good photographs of historical and modern trains. In addition, the book offers a good amount of information and trivia on these trains. It may be written in simple language for children, but I found myself learning quite a bit from it. The book even features some pull out pages. Though geared for children, I think that children of all ages who like trains will enjoy this book, I really liked it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Jim Davis, Garfield Chickens Out: his 61st Book. New York: Ballantine, 2016. 

I thought I had read this before, but it turns out it was new to me when I picked it up at the public library. Another nice comfort read. If you are a fan, you'll like it, but this is just good overall for anyone looking for nice and light humor. 3 out of 5 stars.



Charles M. Schulz, Snoopy: What's Wrong With Dog Lips? A Peanuts Collection. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2017.

This is a Peanuts collection with a bit more focus on Snoopy. In this series, Snoopy fractures a foot, gets a visit from his brother Spike, and travels to Wimbledon but ends up in Kansas City. It's a nice collection, and it is also in full color. It does have one or two fairly dark strips such as Charlie Brown wanting to be black topped on his pitcher's mound (hints suicide). Of course, Lucy remains the bully she always is but that is toned down a bit here. Otherwise, most of the comics are amusing. I liked it overall, and it was a nice light read. 3 out of 5 stars.

Booknote: LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary, New Edition

Simon Beecroft, et.al., LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary: New Edition. New York: DK Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781465481610.

Genre: children and YA, art books
Subgenre: LEGO, Star Wars, toys, photography
Format: hardback
Source: Berea branch of Madison County (KY) Public Library

If you are a fan of both LEGO and Star Wars, you'll enjoy this book. The book is arranged as follows:

• A short introduction.
• A short retrospective looking at 20 years of LEGO Star Wars. 
• Five chapters covering the Star Wars narrative from the prequels to the recent films (it goes to Episode VIII) plus a chapter on specialist LEGO sets and one on LEGO creators and promotional pieces. 

Chapters combine some nice, basic narrative telling the stories with excellent photography of various LEGO sets. Sets are identified by year published, set number, number of pieces in the set, and what Star Wars story it is from. Text is easy to ready, as this is a book mainly for children, but still substantive enough.

This is a book that children of all ages will enjoy. Keep in mind it is not comprehensive; not every possible set is featured. What is featured does look great, and it may inspire you to seek out some of these sets to add to your collection.

This is a book I would add to my collection, although I may wait for the latest edition covering all nine movies. This book is also a great selection for libraries.

5 out of 5 stars. 

Booknote: LEGO Star Wars: The Dark Side

Daniel Lipkowitz, LEGO Star Wars: The Dark Side. New York: DK Publishing, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-4654-1897-5.

Genre: art and photography
Subgenre: Star Wars, LEGO, toys, children and young adult, science fiction
Format: Hardcover coffee table book
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

The book is part of DK Publishing's series of LEGO Star Wars books. This book focuses on the Sith, the dark side of the Force characters. It gives a quick tour from the Sith Era to Return of the Jedi.

The book is arranged in short sections within three chapters (Republic Era, Clone Wars Era, and Empire Era). We get some text and some excellent photography in playful layouts This being a book for young readers, it also features some cute light humor. The photos feature sets, vehicles, and characters. You also get some diagrams, and a even a flowchart so you can see what kind of Jedi or Sith you might be.

On a side note, if you buy the book, it should come with a mini-figure. 

Overall, it is a cute book with fun for all ages. If you like LEGOs or Star Wars or both, this is a book for you. I really liked it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Booknote: Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Incredible Cross-Sections

Jason Fry and Kemp Remillard (artist), Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Incredible Cross-Sections. New York: DK Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-4654-3815-7.

Genre: art and photography
Subgenre: films, movies, Star Wars, science fiction, diagrams
Format: oversized hardback
Source: Berea branch  of the Madison County Public Library

This is another great volume in DK Publishing's series of oversized cross-section book. While I was only lukewarm about the movie The Force Awakens, this book is great. Folks who liked the film as well as Star Wars fans in general will probably enjoy this book.

The book features twelve ships and vehicles from the film including Poe Dameron's X-Wing Fighter, Rey's Speeder, Han's Freighter, and the Millennium Falcon. The book also features a short introduction and in addition to the art by Kemp Remillard we also get  some nice photos from the film. The art  is great with excellent attention to detail. The text is informative and interesting. As in previous volumes, some cross-sections do pull out into larger panels.

Overall, I really liked this one and recommend it. As with other volumes  in this series, it may be geared for younger readers, but fans of all ages can enjoy it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Booknote: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections

Curtis Saxton, et.al., Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections. New York: DK Publishing, 2002.  ISBN: 0-7894-8574-5.

Genre: picture books, art, diagrams
Subgenre: science fiction, Star Wars
Format: oversized hardcover
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

This is certainly the kind of neat oversized picture book kids who like knowing how things are made would love. If you are a fan of the movies, even if you did not like the prequels as much, you may still like this book. It is a good book for fans of the vehicles in the movies.

This oversized volume contains 13 large and very detailed illustrations including one that has pull out pages. Each illustration includes some text and additional trivia. Illustrations are in full color, and the artists clearly paid a lot of attention to detail. You get pretty much every possible detail you can get.

Though it is a book for young readers, I think readers of all ages will enjoy it. This is definitely a good series for public libraries, though keep in mind they can wear and tear with ease. The public library copy I borrowed is pretty beat up in parts.

Overall, I really liked it.

4 out of 5 stars.

BooknoteL The LEGO Movie: The Essential Guide

Hannah Dolan and LEGO, The LEGO Movie: the Essential Guide. New York: DK Publishing, 2014.  ISBN: 9781465417008.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: children and young adult, LEGOs, movie tie-ins, toys
Format: hardback
Source: Berea branch  of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

I recently watched the movie, which I enjoyed for its charm, so when I saw the book at my local library, I picked it up. If your kid is a fan of the movie, then get them this book. You can also be a kid at heart to enjoy the movie and the book. I certainly did. The book is a nice hardback with 63 pages. It features great photos and illustrations throughout. The book also offers a section on how the movie was made, something I always find interesting. By the way, Benny the 1980s astronaut takes me back to my childhood when I had a few of those space sets, including one or two with a blue astronaut. Overall, this is a cute and easy book you can read with your child, or let them read it on their own, or you can read it yourself.

4 out of 5 stars.

Booknote: Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy

Vesa Lehtimäki, Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy. New York: DK Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-4654-4009-9.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: art and photography, Star Wars, LEGOs, toys
Format: oversized hardcover
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

This is an oversize book of LEGO Star Wars photography, and it is a pleasure to look through. This is more than LEGO for kids, even though the author states he used his kids' LEGO sets.

The photographs are well made, and the oversize format allows for better appreciation. The book's premise is mainly catching characters doing unusual things or things outside the movie scenes; note that the book focuses on the original movie trilogy. In addition, the author provides small commentary on how the photos were made, so if you are interested in how the magic happens, the commentary may be of interest too.

This is definitely a book for all ages. Whether you are a Star Wars fan or a LEGOs fan or both, this is a book for you. It makes a great selection for libraries, especially public libraries though I can see some academic libraries with strong photography programs picking it up too. Overall, it was a very nice photography book.

5 out of 5 stars.

This book qualifies for the following 2017 Reading Challege:

Booknote: LEGO Star Wars in 100 Scenes

Daniel Lipkowitz, LEGO Star Wars in 100 Scenes. New York: DK Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-4654-3437-1.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: art books, children, Legos, Star Wars, photography
Format: Hardcover
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

"6 Movies. . . A Lot of Lego Bricks."

The book features "one hundred brick-built scenes" that tell the Star Wars story from the films; it goes from Episode I to Episode VI. It is a nice, big hardcover with great photography that Star Wars and Lego fans of all ages will enjoy. Each scene features a Lego set depicting a scene from one of the films. The text includes character speech bubbles as well as small trivia boxes with information about the Lego set presented. An interesting element is when they tell how a Lego set may slightly differ from details in the movies.

The photos are in full color, and each scene usually takes two pages in full. Most scenes are depicted horizontally, but a few are depicted vertically, so you have to turn the book on its side to fully appreciate those. If you are not a Lego collector, this book might inspire you to start. It is a very good book for kids and adults. It tells the story, but also brings in some nice humor and playfulness. This is definitely a good addition for public libraries.

4 out of 5 stars

This book qualifies for the following 2016 Reading Challenges: