March 2025
We had three seasons in March. Blizzard, spring, and the beginning of the heat of summer. Now we need some April showers and a bit less wind. The spring allergies are kicking in. At least the sky isn’t on fire anymore. That was scary. Why does March Madness actually end in April?
Anyway, here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:
Fiction Books
Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor
This is a story about that worst possible feeling you can have as a parent, family member, or friend of a missing person- that feeling in your gut when you realize you don’t know where your person is. Aurora is a flurry of words, actions, and energy. Frenchie is nonverbal, slow, and unique. Together, they are wonderful. Aurora adopts Frenchie immediately when he and his mother move in next door. Aurora learns how to read all of Frenchies, subtle movements, his needs, and his moods. The two families grow together with kind hearts. One day, Frenchie goes missing. He disappears between the school drop-off line and his classroom. The rest of the story is a blend of flashbacks to moments of Aurora and Frenchie’s journey and moments in the town-wide search and rescue effort to find poor Frenchie. It is heartwarming to see the community come together to find the odd boy with the needlepoint purse full of bird pictures. The twist comes at the end when Aurora learns why Frenchie stopped following her into the school. Her little brother knew all along. I enjoyed the way the author paints Aurora, who is big and loud and strong, and sometimes people don’t know how to handle that. She’s learning how to be authentically herself and how to be calmer and quieter when she sees that she is overwhelming others. I love her kind and dangerous heart.
This is for anyone who has ever been lost.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Ferdelle Capistrano and others, 6:31)
Olive is not a normal twelve-year-old girl. She has a rare condition that makes her bones very fragile. She wants to be normal and fit in like all middle schoolers. Her story blends her transition into public school with the hunt to solve a town-wide mystery. There are lots of emotions involved in the big transition- fear, worry, hope, wonder, awe, sadness, and for Olive, lots of love from her family. There is a recurring miracle that happens in Olive’s town. Snow falls like feathers, plants bloom in unlikely places, and after a few weeks, a magical hummingbird appears at the blue moon and grants a wish to whoever is brave and clever enough to find it. Olive and her new best friend, Grace, form a club whose mission is to find the hummingbird and make their wish. They make new friends along the way- the librarian, an old man who found the hummingbird during the last miracle cycle, and many others. Olive finds her special words: “My bones are fragile, but I am not.” This is a disguised fairy story. It is filled with good magic, kindness, and hope. It’s a reminder that we are better together. It says that we are all a little fragile and broken, but we are also strong, fierce, and resilient. This is a battle of the books read that I enjoyed listening to with Jet.
This is for bird watchers and miracle seekers.
(Rated G, Score 8/10, audiobook read by the author, 8:22)
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #5)
This is a really long, complex book. The story takes place over ten days. Dalinar Kholin and Odium agreed to a contest of champions to take place at the end of the ten days. The contest will decide the fate of Roshar (their world). There are story arcs that evolve in several main geographical areas: Irithiru- the magical tower city, the spiritual realm, the shattered plains, Shinovar, Azir, and Thaylenah. The terms of the contract between Odium and Dalinar lead to a land grab between the humans and the listener army of Odium. The armies have ten days to capture land and capitals before establishing boundaries for the next 1,000 years. Dalinar, Navani, and the human leaders dispatch their forces to the cities Odium is poised to attack.
Jasnah goes to help Queen Fen defend Thaylenah. The two queens end up in a battle of wits with Odium, arguing philosophy, history, and the best possible outcomes.
Adolin is sent to reinforce the Azish defense. He takes the young Azish emperor under his wing, teaching him battle strategy and empowering him to actively save his people instead of being a figurehead. Adolin learns that he has and has not become obsolete in the new world of radiants.
Sigzil and his wind runners are sent to the shattered plains to help defend the farms and oath gate. To prolong the defense, Sigzil uses unorthodox strategies, slowly and deliberately giving up land to keep the defenders in strategic places.
Szeth and Kaladin go to Shinivar on a pilgrimage, seeking healing and truth. They visit each of the Honor Blades monasteries. They uncover and destroy great evils. They seek to rescue the wind and spren and to heal the land and each other. Kaladin learns that he must take care of himself to protect others. Szeth conquers his demons and doubts. He learns what it is to choose his own path.
Dalinar, Navani, Shellan, Renarin, and Rlain spend most of the book in the spiritual realm. They learn to navigate and shape their visions using anchors and their bond smith connections. They walk through time, observing critical moments in the ancient war between humans and listeners. They seek the power of Honor, hoping that it will accept Dalinar as a host, ascend him to godhood, and make him a better match for Odium in the contest of champions.
Shellan, Renarin, and Rlain follow the bond smiths in the spiritual realm, hunting for two assassins who are hunting for a secret, caged Unmade named Ba-Ado-Mishram, who is powerful enough to threaten Odium.
At the end of the ten days, Odium and Dalinar have their contest of champions. Odium is chaos, and so he does not act in accord with honor. Dalinar has learned enough to understand the trap he has landed in. He is given the choice between killing an innocent champion and forfeiting the contest. How does one decide when given such a choice?
It took me months to listen to this massive book. I have a much better understanding of the big picture now. I will understand the previous volumes much better when I revisit them. I was disappointed by several aspects of the book: One- that Lyft did not have a bigger part. Two- the author’s use of actual swear words. He should have kept the context-specific swearing that was cleaner and more entertaining. Three- the way the author drove a gay relationship into the narrative where it was not necessary or beneficial to the plot. It felt forced, unnatural, and unauthentic/contrived. Four- as my friend Michael pointed out, they turned Kaladin into a therapist instead of using him as the Radiant Warrior they spent four books forging.
I liked Adolin’s story arc the best. The leadership lessons, interpersonal connections, and strategies were most true to the spirit of what these books have been so far. Adolin is the most honest and noble character. He’s possibly the most human and most accessible character too.
The author ends the book with a note, thanking the reader for making it through all 6510 pages of the first five books of the first arc and explaining that the story will continue in the next five books. By my math, Book 10 should come out sometime around 2040.
This is for faithful starlight archivists.
(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer, 62:48)
This book is in the Book Madness bracket the kids are doing at school. There are 16 books in a single elimination bracket. The kids can only vote for the books they have read. I like this idea. I might steal it and load it with my own favorite books. Holes is a story about Stanley Yelnats, a teenage boy sent to a rehabilitation camp in the middle of a desert lake bed. There, Stanley gets the nickname Caveman because he’s quite a bit bigger than the other boys. Each day the boys get up at 4:30 AM and begin to dig holes. Every day they are required to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet around so that their five-foot shovel can lay flat at the bottom all the way around. Then they spit in their hole and go back to the camp. The digging is supposed to fix them. The boys are guarded by a couple of men, but the surrounding desert keeps them from running away. The author breaks up the monotony of digging by telling stories about Stanley’s great, great, rotten, pig-stealing grandfather. The stories explain how his ancestors had bad luck because of unfulfilled promises. As Stanley lives in the camp and digs his holes each day, he loses weight, gains strength, and starts to understand his place in the hierarchy of the group. Bad luck and abuse seem to find Stanley, but he handles them calmly. As the story progresses, Stanley learns some of the history of the area as well as the the history of the other boys. One boy, Zero, runs away from the camp. After a few days, Stanley tries to steal the water truck to find Zero, but he crashes it into a hole. To avoid immediately getting into trouble, Stanley takes off after Zero. Stanley and Zero work together to break the ancient curse, survive on onions, and solve the mystery of the camp. I liked the way the story is woven together. I hope it wins in the bracket challenge. It’s up against Out of My Mind, which I haven’t read yet.
This is for treasure hunters and anyone looking to kick their bad luck.
(Rated PG, Score 6*/10, audiobook read by Kerry Beyer, 4:37)
*The book’s score took a big hit when Jet found out that you can’t actually dig a 5-foot hole with a 5-foot shovel, which they learned during the filming of the movie.
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
This is a fantasy story, written to describe the great separation between heaven and hell. The story is a dream and the dreamer becomes aware in a gray town (hell) and joins a bus queue. The omnibus takes the dreamer and other passengers up and out of the town to a bright sunny meadow. The folks of the gray town are ghostly and not as solid as the bright country. (This aspect of matter is a very interesting literary mechanism). The grass hurts their feet because it is more solid (real) than them, and they aren’t substantive enough to even carry a leaf. Each ghost is met by a native of the solid land who tries to help them enter into joy or fully abandon the gray town and seek love (God). The dreamer meets George MacDonald who teaches him about what he is seeing, and how each of the ghosts are either saved or lost back to the gray town. In the end, the dreamer awakes and knows that the bridge of death is still ahead of him in his journey. This is a powerful story if you wish to better understand the dynamics between heaven and hell. The characters and dialogue make the theological debate accessible in a unique way. The dialogue in the story makes clear some of the ways we abuse truth or try to blackmail each other for our ends. I love the way the guides in the story strike down these types of lies and misunderstandings. They speak the hard truths, and they speak love. This story makes my heart yearn for heaven.
This book is for dreamers, seekers, and ghosts.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Robert Whitfield, 2:53)
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (Wild Robot #1)
ROZZUM unit 7134 is a robot that crashes on an island during a big storm. Her cargo ship loses her and some other ROZZUM units on the island. Some curious otters activate Roz. She roams the island and learns about her surroundings. One day, she is climbing some cliffs on the island when a rock slide changes her story. The falling rocks squish most of a goose family, leaving one egg all alone. Roz rescues the egg and the gosling that soon hatches. Bright Bill, the new gosling, becomes Roz’s new little sidekick. Roz begins making new friends among the island animals. She learns their language and begins to trade favors with them as she learns how to raise a tiny goose. Bright Bill becomes the catalyst for Roz’s evolution from machine into a part of the island’s ecosystem. As the seasons pass, Bright Bill grows and learns how to swim and soar. He joins the flock as they migrate south for the winter. The winter is early and brutally cold. Roz works to help her animal friends survive. In the process, the animals build a fire that draws the attention of the humans on a passing cargo ship. The humans send hunter robots to reclaim Roz and the scraps of the other, dead robots. How will the islanders protect their robot friend? This was a fun story. I enjoyed the animals and the way the robot goes wild. Now we need to find some time to watch the movie. I liked the way the author shared how we are better together, and how we learn to blend in with others before they can trust us. I also like the way Roz solved problems by listening and being kind.
This is for little robots and animal lovers.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Kate Atwater, 4:14)
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3)
Carl, Princess Donut, Katia, and Mongo wake up on floor #4 in a fast-moving subway car. They fight their way to a safe house where they are joined by Donut’s manager and their dungeon guide, Mordecai. They spend some time working on upgrades, buying a new personal space, and other related perks. After resting up, they go exploring the floor, hoping to locate the stairways to the fifth floor. They have a week before the fourth floor will collapse. The floor turns out to be a giant spaghetti noodle mess of train lines. None of it makes any sense for most of the book. Mordecai gets put in timeout for attacking another character in the safe house, so the team loses their experienced guide for most of the book. Carl picks a fan prize that looks like a dumb book, but it is The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook. The book is a secret collection of recipes, tips, tricks, and advice written by over 20 previous dungeon crawlers. Carl has to use the book in secret or it will disappear, so he spends extra time in the bathroom learning from it. The nature of the 4th floor forces the crawlers to group together for protection and to solve the layout of the floor in time. The team works together with some old and new friends to ride the rails and explore the stations and secrets of the floor. There are some massive battles and some epic twists and turns in the plot on this floor. The way the characters band together and rise above the evil as well as the nasty plot twists make this my favorite volume in the series so far.
This is for adult gamers and geeks.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, Hardcover, 544 p.)
I didn’t expect this little story to get me like it did. It started slow and easy. Then it made me cross and annoyed. Then, in the end, the author went and tied everything together with wit, wisdom, and kindness. Nick Allen is a fifth-grader who likes to stir things up. He tries to pull one over on his teacher, Mrs. Granger. He asks her about her dictionaries, hoping to get her off on a tangent to waste class time. Mrs. Granger flips the question into an assignment for Nick. Nick pushes through and tries to distract the class the next day. During his presentation to the class about dictionaries, Mrs. Granger explains that words are whatever we agree they are. We make language. This gives Nick another idea. He makes a plan to invent his own word. He starts in his class and at the local store by calling a pen “friendle.” Mrs. Granger figures out what Nick is doing. She tries to stop Nick, but he doubles his energy and efforts. Mrs. Granger calls Nick in to talk to her. She asks him if he is ready to take his word to its natural conclusion. Nick says he is. Mrs. Granger has Nick sign an envelope with a letter she has written him. She promises to give him the letter when the thing is over. This begins a battle of wills between Mrs. Granger and the students. Mrs. Granger begins punishments for students who use the word friendle. At one point over 70 kids must stay after school to write lines for using the forbidden word. The parents complain. The newspapers get involved. A local businessman copywrites the new word and starts selling frindles. The story of the boy with a new word catches momentum. It grows beyond the little town. Nick rides the attention through the school year, but he learns that sometimes his ideas grow beyond his control. At the end of the year, he goes to Mrs. Granger, expecting to get the letter he signed. Mrs. Granger explains that it is not yet time. As the summer goes on, the friendly story grows and becomes a national fad. Nick’s dad makes a deal with the local businessman. They set up a trust and invest 30% of all frindle profits for Nick to receive when he turns 21 years old. Nick carries on, unaware of the fortune growing in his name. He learns, grows, and excels with the lessons he learned. One day, Nick receives a package from Mrs. Granger that contains his letter and a brand new dictionary containing the word frindle. Mrs. Granger played the role of the villain to help him change the world with his word. Listening to this short book with Millie was a bright spot in my month. It gave me more to ponder than many books do.
This is for littles with the energy and ideas to change the world.
(Rated G, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Keith Nobbs, 1:40)
Non-Fiction Books
Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
The title and key lesson of this book is a great reminder. We all need this reminder in weird, uncertain, fearful, confused, dark moments. Everything is figureoutable. The author cites her mom as being the source of this wisdom. For me, it's my mom, my dad, and my uncles. There's something about them that allows them to just know how to figure things out. All kinds of things- fixing things, art, science projects, social problems, medical stuff…anything. This book covers the magic of belief, elimination of excuses, techniques for dealing with fear and defining your dreams. The author encourages starting before you are ready, seeking progress, not perfection, and tenacity that refuses to be refused. A lot of the content in this book was familiar from other self-improvement books, but it has a different edge and energy coming from a feisty, salty, swearing type. My two takeaways are: One - Keep a learning mindset as you engage the problem, and Two - Act immediately when you have an idea if you don’t want to lose momentum. You can't figure things out just by thinking about a problem. You have to do something and engage the problem with action. Thanks, Joel, for the recommendation.
This is for anyone stuck or needing a spicy pep talk.
(Rated R(language), Score 7/10, audiobook read by the author, 7:54)
Leadership is Language by David L. Marquet
Several folks in my work group read Turning the Ship Around and it made a big difference in the way we talk and lead. This is a follow-on book that addresses some of the same areas but focuses on the language our teams use to execute work. The book starts with a tragic story about the sinking of El Faro, a massive cargo ship lost in a hurricane. Marquet details the issues, language, and mindsets that caused the ship to sail into danger and destruction. The premise of the book is then to show how using new language and a new playbook would prevent such mistakes. The goal of the new playbook is to give leaders the proper language and awareness to balance deliberation (Bluework) and action (Redwork).
Marquet introduces six new plays to avoid old/outdated plays:
Control the clock - not obey the clock
Collaborate, not coerce
Commit, not comply
Complete, not continue
Improve, not prove
Connect, not conform
There are chapters for each of these new plays that explain the dangers of the old plays and the benefits of using better language to call the new plays. Chapter 9 runs through several situations and how the leaders in them can call better plays for better results. Chapter 10 is a hypothetical outline of how the leaders of El Faro could have used the new plays to communicate more effectively and make better critical decisions.
Each chapter has a wealth of wisdom and ideas for implementing the new plays. Marquet is slow and deliberate in his description of each old/new play combo, calling on stories from the Oscars to submarine tactics, to more common business issues. The content is actionable, relatable, and well-organized.
One growth area for me is to work on my Collaborate play. Often, I believe I already know what the best answer is and I try to coerce others into following my lead and coming to my conclusions. I am working to be more curious. I am working to ask better questions and be more patient while others share their perspectives. I am working to invite dissent rather than trying to drive to consensus.
Marquet emphasizes the goal of having a learning mindset. If we approach problems with a desire to learn, grow, connect, and understand, we cannot lose. Even in failure, we will be strengthened by new relationships, ideas, knowledge, and wisdom. Psychological safety is so important in allowing a group or culture to face its challenges, focus on problems and processes rather than blaming people, and connect to create solutions where none appeared before.
Phil, thanks for giving me this book and walking through its lessons with me.
This is for anyone interested in learning how to be a better leader.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 10:40, Hardcover, 352p.)
Preview/Currently Reading-
Whisper by Mark Batterson (34%)
Midnight Black by Mark Greaney (59%)
Prepared by Mike Glover (20%)
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (7%)
Please, Sorry, Thanks by Mark Batterson (44%)
The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman (2%)
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. It might help manage your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
I realized this month that my knee rehab journey is coming to an end. The goal was always to get “back to normal”. I think my life now has a new normal, and that’s as good as I’m going to get for this chapter. I was stuck in my head swimming laps (cause water kills electronics like airpods) and I decided I now need a new physical goal to chase. I think I’m going to try to hike La Luz Trail this summer with my friend Derek. We’ve tried twice already and got lost once and snowed out the second time. This feels like a proper challenge that will require real preparation.
As a human, I’ve been trying to do more to get out of my comfort zone and help people. There have been times I have seen a person in need and talked myself out of helping. The excuses are usually lame, and I end up carrying some regret and disappointment when I know I’ve missed a chance to help someone and make a connection. I have been pondering this idea for a while. I want to see good things to do and have the courage to do them. I want to care more about my kids seeing me be kind, brave, and serving others, than worrying about what others might think. If I’m wrong, I want to be wrong being brave and trying to help. If I look weird or odd to people, I want it to stick with them that I was weird or odd because I was willing to help a stranger or a child or an old lady when others walked by. If I can do more of these small, deliberate things often enough, I’m hoping it will make a permanent impression on my kids, and that they will continue to naturally do good things even when the world is not good to them.
What do I want to be when I grow up? I want to be kind.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
PS. Instagram: Fromthespine
PPS. I’m looking to grow and improve this little experiment. If you have benefited from it and would like to support my ability to buy better books or run with some other ideas I have been working on, here is your opportunity. You could think of it as an investment or buying me a coffee.