u/Obvious-Examination6

I recently finished The Way to the Stars, one of the Discovery novels, written by Una McCormick. Going into this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was aware it was Tilly's backstory, but that's about it. I know the character is somewhat polarizing, but I generally liked Tilly in the series. That being said, I enjoyed this book FAR more than I thought I would. Honestly, I had a hard time putting it down most nights. It's somewhat shorter than many Trek novels, but it kept the story moving quickly and effectively. If you like Tilly, definitely give this book a read. The author really does a fantastic job with the character.

4.25 out of 5 stars

This morning I finished my fourth Discovery novel, Fear Itself. The story focuses on Saru and his growth as an officer. This is another Discovery novel that I enjoyed more than the series itself. That being said, this is the fourth Discovery book (out of nine total) that does not feature the USS Discovery at all. This book takes place during Saru's time on the Shenzou, and Saru was always one of my favorite characters from Discovery.

A worthwhile read, 4 out of 5 stars.

Recently I finished reading TOS #57: The Rift by Peter David. I honestly don't have much to say other than, as usual, Peter David wrote truly enjoyable Trek fiction! This book was somewhat short at only 274 pages, and with the chapters being pretty short, I blew through this book in just four days. If you're a Pike fan, the first 30% or so is all about that crew, and David did a great job harnessing their personalities. It was also great having Jose Tyler be a big part of the whole story, as even in other novels and comics, he usually didn't get much time to shine.

Easily 4.25 out of 5 stars!

Earlier today I finished TOS #56: Legacy. While not part of the Strange New Worlds/Captain Pike reading list I'd recently completed, it's still a book with Pike in it. That being said, Pike's appearance in this book felt somewhat forced and unnecessary.

Overall the book was enjoyable, if a little slow, with the opportunity for more action-oriented scenes merely glossed over. Chekhov, Sulu, and Uhura are relegated to very minor roles, though this book is hardly the only one guilty of that.

Tl;dr: A worthwhile read, but not worth moving to the top of your reading stack. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

In the past several days I've completed reading both Enterprise Logs and The Lives of Dax. These are both anthologies, one focusing on short stories from all the captains of vehicles named Enterprise, and the other about each of the Dax hosts. I had read several stories from each as part of the Enterprise (series) and Strange New Worlds/Captain Pike reading lists. Since I wrapped up the latter, I figured I'd go ahead and complete these two anthologies before moving on

These are both enjoyable reads, with some stories better than others. For Enterprise Logs, it's always nice to get stories on characters we don't see much of, such as April, Harriman, and Garrett. To be honest, I skipped the first two stories that are based on an old ship and an aircraft carrier. I just had zero interest in those.

The Lives of Dax was a lot of fun, especially Joran's twisted story.

Now on to two other Pike-related related books I found that weren't on the list, Legacy and The Rift.

Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I adore Lwaxana Troi. Other than Imzadi, Q-in-Law, and the Battle of Betazed, are there any recommended books that feature this daughter of the Fifth House, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed?

This morning I finished Burning Dreams, the final entry in the Strange New Worlds/Captain Pike reading list. And what a final entry! This book reminded me a lot of what Mosaic was for Captain Janeway. It follows Pike's life from childhood to death, and while some of it is retconned by Strange New Worlds, it truly dives deep into what made Pike the man we only briefly saw in the original pilot episode. Definitely one of the best Trek books I've read so far--kudos to Margaret Wander Bonanno!

4.8 stars out of 5.

That's it. That's the post.

Last night I finished reading The Captain's Table #6: Where Sea Meets Sky as part of the Strange New Worlds/Captain Pike reading list. This book was... different. The framing story in The Captain's Table bar was fine, but the flashback story was a bit more bonkers than I would like. Bioengineered carnivorous space whales with lasers and warp drives really pushed the limits. I did like that the crew was able to explore previously uncharted regions of space, but too much of the book was just jumping from one star system to the next to take sensor readings. Thankfully there were enough action sequences to keep me moving forward. Oh, and the ending was so abrupt. Definitely not in my top tier of ST books I've read so far.

3 out 5 stars

Earlier today I finished The Enterprise War as part of the Strange New Worlds/Captain Pike reading list. I really enjoyed this one, y'all. Despite being one of the longer Trek novels I've read so far, I blew through it because I couldn't put it down. The chapters were really short, which always helps me speed through books. I will say that I found the parallels to Enterprise Season Three quite interesting--being trapped in a hostile nebula, dealing with a group of aliens where five sentient species evolved on the same planet. I appreciated that it provided a little closure on a few characters from earlier novels and comics, such as Nurse Carlotti, but I'm disappointed nothing has addressed the departure of Doctor Boyce directly, though it can be inferred a little from this book. I love tying up loose ends from the narrative, and this book did that for a number of things.

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One thing, though, that I don't ever recall from ships of this era... The NCC-1701 could separate the saucer from the drive section?? I thought that was just a gimmick from the early days of TNG?

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Definite 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

Continuing on my journey through the Strange New Worlds/Captain Pike reading list, I've just completed Desperate Hours by David Mack.

Let me say that overall I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who likes reading more Trek. While I neither loved nor hated Discovery, its format did leave something to be desired. This is the second novel in the Discovery line that I've read so far, and I admit to liking them much more than the television series.

My biggest issue with this book is really no fault of the author's. Reading about some of the backstory of the development of this novel, the author was directed to write a somewhat specific storyline. What bothers me is that much of it is contradicted by season two of the show. It seems the show runners or the powers that be weren't thinking very far ahead.

Nevertheless, it wasn't that jarring, so I'd recommended at least giving it a fair shot.

I've been hovering around the 100lb loss mark for almost three weeks, but never quite reached it. Then this morning, a day before my birthday, I finally hit it!

I promised I wouldn't buy any new clothes until I hit this milestone, so now I know what I'm doing next weekend! My pants barely stay on even with a belt (and I need a new belt, too). A few more pounds and I'll be able to buy the rowing machine I've been wanting to get, too!

I'm honestly always confused about how many calories to consume to maintain a weight loss. The TDEE calculator says 2,275 to maintain current weight. Today, which is a pretty normal weekday, foodwise, I'm at a little over 1400. Is this too low? I've been gaining and losing the same two or three pounds for almost three weeks so I decided to start food logging again.

I just wrapped up Child of Two Worlds as part of my trek through the Captain Pike and Strange New Worlds reading list. I enjoyed the storyline and the parallels to Spock's life, but the editing of the book, the Kindle version at least, is pretty bad. There were a number of typos or general editing errors throughout that pulled me out of the story at times. Perhaps it was rushed by the publisher to get to press? Nevertheless, I've enjoyed reading the Pike stories, including the related comics, and I thankfully still have several to go

As a gay man, I didn't think I'd ever be able to use a GLP-1. Now I can! Happy Pride Month, y'all!

/s