Clark



Clark
is the Chief Financial Officer and Controller for Vroman's Bookstore.  He spends most of his work hours dealing with insurance, accounting, banking and computer stuff so you won’t see him on the sales floor that often.  He first started at Vroman’s as a bookseller in the Arcadia store in the Santa Anita mall over 20 years ago.  He likes most anything on Star Wars and enjoys books related to history.  He also loves playing games, including many that we have at Vroman’s.

 

By Troy Denning
$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780345477477
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: LucasBooks, 12/01/2008
This series of 9 books has re-energized my love of George Lucas’ world.  The series starts about 40 “standard” years after Star Wars: A New Hope.  Although some wonderful characters from Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi have passed on during the 40 years, the main focus of the series is Luke, Leia, Han and their families.  I listened to the audio books and I loved every moment that I spent with the series.  The books are not as light as the first three movies were.  They are darker and similar to the prequel movies (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith), but it is a wonderful series and can’t be missed by any Star Wars enthusiast.  You definitely need to have read or watched the six movies to have a good base for this series, but who hasn’t seen the six Star Wars movies?  Anyway, I strongly recommend these books on either audio or in print; they are listed below in order:

#1 Betrayal
#2 Bloodlines
#3 Tempest
#4 Exile
#5 Sacrifice
#6 Inferno
#7 Fury
#8 Revelation
#9 Invincible

Recommended by Clark

Click here to buy the audio book of Invincible.


Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Mass Market Paperback)

By Sean Williams
$7.99
ISBN-13: 9780345502858
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: LucasBooks, 08/01/2009

Set two years before Star Wars:  A New Hope, this book should be read by every Star Wars fan.  The book tells a brilliant tale of one of Darth Vader's apprentices and how the Rebel Alliance was started.

Recommended by Clark

Click here to buy the audio book on Compact Disc.


Ticket to Ride
$59.50
Model: 824968717912
Availability:

This railway themed game was published in 2004 and won the 2004 Best Board Game of the Year in Germany. This game is beautifully designed and easy to play. This is a personal favorite of mine and I love the added bounus of helping players remember geography.

Recommended by Clark

 

 

 


By Christie Golden
$27.00
ISBN-13: 9780345509123
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: LucasBooks, 06/01/2009

The 2nd book in the Fate of the Jedi series brings a reader all the excitement of previous Star Wars books.  A powerful Sith order becomes a main storyline and by the end of the book, you just know that a Sith and Jedi confrontation is brewing that will be unparalleled in the Lucas universe.  This Sith order will rival the Jedi order. The story still includes all the important characters that a Star Wars fan loves, but this building threat of the Sith holds the reader through the book.  The book is also available in audio.

Recommended by Clark


Mayflower (Paperback)

By Nathaniel Philbrick
$16.00
ISBN-13: 9780143111979
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Penguin (Non-Classics), 05/01/2007

This book is the fascinating story of the Mayflower voyage and the first 50 years of Plymouth Colony. The history of the Mayflower and Plymouth are often idealized, but Philbrick’s account based on extensive research, paints the early settlers and their descendents in more realistic light. Everything you ever needed to know about the Pilgrims and more.

Recommended by Clark

Also available in audio.


Carcassone
$32.90
Model: 655132001700
Availability:
Winner of the 2001 Game of the Year in Germany.  This is a great game for 2-5 players.  I have personally played this game over 20 times and every time you play it's different and enjoyable.  If you buy one game this year for a gift -- this one should be it. 


Recommended by Clark

 

 

 


Thurn and Taxis
$36.50
Model: 655132002875

I love the dynamics, historical feel and setting of this game.  The game won the Spiel des Jahres (German for Game of the Year) award in 2006.  It is for two to four players, although I prefer to play it as a two-player game with my wife.  The setting of the game is 17th century Europe where players compete to build the best postal network.  The colorful board, wooden pieces, historic city names, game dynamic and European feel make the game a hit for my gaming group when my wife and I want to play with more players. 

Recommended by Clark

 

 

 


By Miep Gies, Alison Leslie Gold
$14.00
ISBN-13: 9781416598855
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Simon & Schuster, 02/01/2009

Miep Gies’ tale of her ordeal in Holland during World War II and how she helped Anne Frank and her family is amazing.  The story reached inside me and held me through the whole book.  The story is especially amazing on audio.  This is a wonderful read for anyone interest in World War II history.

Recommended by Clark

Click here to purchase the audio version of the book on Compact Disc.

 


Bunny's Noisy Book (Board Books)

By Margaret Wise Brown, Lisa Mccue
$6.99
ISBN-13: 9780786807444
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Hyperion, 02/01/2002

I have been reading this wonderful board book to my son since he was one year old. The illustrations are fabulous with brilliant colors of spring including lilac, columbine and ladybugs. The story is fun because it can be interactive. For example, when the bunny yawns, my son and I yawn. When the bunny stretches, we stretch. Although the publisher recommends it for ages 4-8 years old, I found it to be great starting at 1 year old.

Recommended by Clark


By Susan Vreeland
$13.00
ISBN-13: 9780140296280
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Penguin (Non-Classics), 10/01/2000
This is a captivating novel.  It tells the tale of eight individuals touched by a lost and unknown Vermeer painting.  The story moves backward in time from present day to the 17th century, and each character has a remarkable tale.  The author did a wonderful job detailing each part of the story from a different point of view.  Vreeland’s book is absolutely captivating and wonderfully told.

Reviewed by J. Clark Mason

Also available on audio



By Laurence Bergreen
$15.95
ISBN-13: 9780060936389
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Harper Perennial, 11/01/2004

This is a wonderful account of the 16th century journey around the world led by Magellan. This is really worth reading for those interested in basic world history or specifically the Age of Discovery.

Recommended by Clark

Click here to buy the audio book on Compact Disc.


Soul Catcher (Paperback)

By Michael C. White
$14.95
ISBN-13: 9780061340734
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Harper Perennial, 09/01/2008

This pre-Civil War novel about the life of a slave catcher was riveting and thought-provoking. Although the subject is not for the faint of heart, the story left me with a profound feeling that some of the best stories are the ones that are hard to hear. I was touched by the emotion of the two main characters & how life would have been during a very dark time.
Recommended by Clark

Click here to buy the audio book on Compact Disc.


By Aaron Allston
$27.00
ISBN-13: 9780345509062
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: LucasBooks, 03/01/2009

This is the first book of a new Star Wars series that takes off two years after the Legacy of the Force series ends (about 43 years after Star Wars a New Hope). The thrilling tale has three main plot lines that intertwine, but focuses on Luke, Leia, Han and Jaina. This is a Star Wars fan must read. The book is also available in audio.

Recommended by Clark

Click here to buy the audio book on Compact Disc.