FROM THE SPINE - OCTOBER 2024 BOOK REVIEWS

October 2024

October has a lot of weird history for me and my family. Last year, in October, my soccer career came to an abrupt end when I got injured. It’s been a year of surgeries, recovering, PT, and relearning how to do basic things again, like shower, drive, and walk without limping. The Machinist Union at work decided to strike, and we spent a few weeks dealing with picket lines, lots of distractions, and bad rumors. Now they have a new 5-year contract, and hopefully, things will return to normal. In early October, I had some weird health stuff to work through. It turns out my body reacts badly to both conscious and subconscious stress. I’m working through healing, sorting out past traumas, and getting stronger and healthier. Never take your health for granted. 

Anyway, here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:

Fiction Books

Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs (Moon Base Alpha #2)

Dash gets sucked into another space mystery soon after solving the murder in Book 1. After fending off an ambush in the bathroom, using a urinator to the face of the bully, Patton Sjoberg, Dash faces Nina, the base commander. Nina threatens to punish Dash at the command/threat of Lars Sjolberg. Then Nina vanishes. The moon base goes on alert, and everyone searches high and low. As they search, they find a stash of moon rocks in Nina’s bunk and evidence that she may be planning to sell them illegally. The adults all head out onto the lunar surface, expecting Nina to be out there looking for more moon rocks. Dash learns that some of the adults' helmets are in danger because they were used for a late-night football game. During the panic and rescue effort, the Sjobergs raid the lunar greenhouse and eat all the fresh food. How will the Moonies sort out the bullying thieves? What happened to Nina? Violet, Dash’s six-year-old sister, breaks the case open once they finally listen to her. This was a fun caper. The author uses Dash’s conversation with Zan to explore human evils and redeeming gifts. There are some fascinating ideas hidden behind the youthful storytelling, like the dangers of space junk, listening to everyone (especially little sisters), how to handle bullies, and admitting when you are wrong.

This is for young readers and lunar aficionados. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Gibson Frazier, 6:44)

A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

Jet is participating in The Battle of the Books program this year. The kids will read as many books as they can from a list of 16, prepare a worksheet on the books, and eventually, I think there will be some sort of quiz/competition to test their memory/comprehension of each book they read. This has been fun for us to do together. This book is on that list. It is a short book about a third-grade boy named Bixby Alexander Tam (Bat) and his growth as a small human. Bat goes to a special school because he needs extra structure. He is on the autism spectrum. His mom is a veterinarian. She brings home a baby skunk, and Bat falls in love with it. Bat loves animals. They calm him. Bat learns to care for the baby skunk, who they name Thor. The story shows how Bat handles frustrations, interactions, and challenges. He decides to become the very best skunk care person he can be. In the end, he makes a friend and learns the value of bravery, perseverance, dedication, and care. 

This is for young skunks and anyone looking to understand special needs better. 

(Rated G, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Patrick Lawlor, 2:27)

Waste of Space by Stuart Gibbs (Moon Base Alpha #3)

One might start to think that the moon base is cursed with so many mysteries to solve in so little time. In Book 3, Dash gets blackmailed into investigating the attempted murder of Lars Sjoberg. Someone stole apple seeds from the greenhouse, mixed up some cyanide, and injected the poison into Lars’ private stock of weird Swedish food. The oxygen system is also having problems, so the moon base is scheduled to be evacuated. Dash has to survive one more day. The rocket that will take him back to Earth can’t get there fast enough. Dash and Kira question some of the Moonies. They discover the syringe and cyanide in Chang’s room, but Chang just laughs. He says he wouldn’t be stupid enough to mess up a murder. This gets Dash thinking, on a moon base full of geniuses, who would be dumb enough to mess up a murder by not using enough poison? The story continues, and the Moonies head back to Earth, but not before Zan, the alien, plants a critical equation in Dash’s brain. In the epilogue, after years of practice, Dash reunites with Zan on her homeworld by projecting his consciousness there. Gibbs does a solid job of wrapping up the series in this book. I’m getting used to kids' books leaving wide openings for 32 more books in the series. Jet loved these books. The action started early, and the progressive unveiling of the plot kept him hooked and asking for more. Thank you again, Jennifer, for the excellent (not dragons) recommendation. 

This is for little humans learning how to get along. 

(Rated G, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Gibson Frazier, 6:51)

Golden Son by Pierce Brown (Red Rising Saga #2)

I’ve changed a lot as a person since last year when I read Book 1. I wasn’t in a great head place back then, and that probably biased my opinion. I was a little reluctant to continue the series, but Mike insisted. Book 2 is just as brutal as Book 1. Think Game of Thrones in space. Massive family powers wrestling for control of humanity and the solar system. Darrow is still on a mission to destroy the existing power structure, which has kept his red people enslaved. Now he is a Peerless Scarred. He is an elite gold warrior in the service of Nero au Augustus. But when he loses the final conflict in the academy, he loses his good standing in the family and its related protection. As Darrow waits for his contract to be auctioned off, he saves the Jackal from a bombing and makes a new alliance with him. Darrow goes to extreme measures to begin a new war among the golds. He goes to war against the Sovereign and the house of Bellona. He saves Augustus and others as they escape, winning a flagship in the process, which he names The Pax. He earns a Stained Obsidian warrior named Ragnar with the ship, who becomes his terrifying bodyguard. Darrow and his friends and allies martial their forces and go to war on Mars. The assault is devastating to both sides and ends with Darrow being captured by the Sovereign. There are several more twists and turns as the book closes. The brutality and killing reach a climax, and the book ends with Darrow in the hands of his enemies. I guess now I have to carry on and find Book 3. As with Book 1, some of the plot points felt borrowed from other stories, but they are fitted together in a long, complex, action-packed drama. The characters are marked by their strengths and weaknesses. There are themes of cruelty, betrayal, and greed laced throughout. These are balanced by hope, trust, daring, and love. Humans, it seems, are very complex. This story shows a lot of that. 

This is for advanced readers who can handle lots of characters and twists. 

(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Tim Gerard Reynolds, 19:03)

The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate (The One and Only #4)

Ivan and his friends are back for a final book. I like Ivan’s internal dialogue. He’s a giant silverback gorilla with a poet’s soul. The author takes us through the dual terrors and joys of becoming a parent. Ivan and his mate, Kinyane, become the proud and exhausted parents of two little gorillas. There are so many things for a father to worry about. Ivan wants so badly to be a protector for his family. He learns to balance the joy of being a father and being present in the tantrums and in the lessons. The twin tantrum is a dangerous thing. The wisdom of his friends brings Ivan along. He has Bob the dog and Ruby the elephant to help keep things in perspective. The story covers the birth of the twins, some sickness and recovery, and a celebration of a documentary about the growing gorilla family. Ivan grows into his silverback protecting power, and in the moment of truth, he saves his tribe, himself, and his child. He’s a brave and silly gorilla, and that’s why these books have resonated with me. This book also happens to be in Jet’s Battle of the Books. 

This is for anyone who has a growing family and big emotions to work through. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Adam Grupper, 3:14)

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman 

The last time I read this little book (2015), I was a completely different person. Reading it again with Jet, it resonated on a completely new level. Odd is a Viking boy with a crushed right leg. Winter shows no signs of breaking. Odd leaves the community and works his way to his father’s empty cabin, looking for some peace and quiet. On his slow, crutching journey, he finds a fox (Loki), an eagle (Odin), and a giant bear (Thor). He rescues the bear from an accidental trap. Then he learns the animals can talk.  They tell him a tale of being tricked out of Asgard and trapped in their animal forms by a frost giant. Odd helps them to create and cross a rainbow bridge back to Asgard. Back in their home country, the gods are still trapped in their animal forms, and the frost giant still controls the wall and their home. Odd finds a well of water, which gifts him wisdom, vision, and a glimpse into his mother’s past. Odd confronts the frost giant and convinces him to go home rather than continue battling the lovely Freya. Inside the castle, Freya transforms Odin, then Thor, and then reluctantly Loki all back into their human forms. Then, as a reward, she works to heal Odd’s crushed right leg. She unhooks it at the knee, opens it up, and restores as much of the bones as she can, then heals it and hooks it back at the knee. She couldn’t restore it completely, but at least it doesn’t hurt anymore. This bit of the story was so close to my own story that it caught me off guard. It encouraged me. It reminded me that after the struggle, you return home a different and bigger person. It reminded me that we can all control our attitudes. We can all seek wisdom. We can all smile cleverly in the face of giants. This is now one of my favorite stories. 

This is for young people growing out of their villages. 

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 1:46)

Odder by Katherine Applegate

I was hoping for a bubbly, fun, silly, whimsical story about a sea otter named Odder, but that’s not what this book is. It’s more of a sad, disappointing lecture about the doom of sea otters and the potential impact that will have on the environment. Like The One and Only Ivan (by the same author), this book is based on real live animal stories. Odder is a young, brave little sea otter who is rescued by humans as a pup. She learns how to be an otter and is released back into the wild. In the wild, Odder makes other otter friends and dives and plays with great skill and passion. She also shows a dangerous curiosity for humans and their intrusions into her world. Many times the marine biologists work to separate Odder from the humans, kayakers, and other dangers after her reintroduction into the wild. Sometimes, they have to capture Odder and release her away from human-populated areas. Finally, Odder gets attacked by a shark and ends up back in the aquarium under the care of the scientists. She never recovers enough to go back to sea. Eventually, she learns how to teach baby pups how to otter properly. The story was sad and a bit prophetic, I think. It didn’t feel very relatable or actionable, so it ended up feeling a bit hopeless or meaningless. Maybe I just missed the message. 

This is for conservationists.

(Rated PG, Score 5/10, audiobook read by Allison Fraser and cast, 2:22)

The Martian by Andy Weir

Mark Watney is one of my favorite book characters ever. He is a botanist/engineer/astronaut who gets stranded on Mars alone for over 500 Sols (1 Martian day = 1 Sol = 24 hours and 40 minutes of Earth time). Mars tries to kill Mark in many creative ways. First, it stabs him with a chunk of flying debris in a massive windstorm. Mark’s team believes he is dead, and they leave him in the storm in a panic. The story is mostly told in log entries- Mark talking about his projects, struggles, and challenges. There is some really interesting science woven through the challenges. Mark grows a massive potato crop on Mars using his botany skills because the people-food on hand on Mars is limited, and he has to find a way to survive until someone can come to rescue him. Mark has a sharp sense of humor and an unbelievable ability to shake off the bad and keep solving problems. He reminds me a lot of my friend Beau. His traits of positivity, his bad language, and his way of giving his friends a bad time are just like Beau's. Weir has an unusual knack for being able to weave complex science into entertaining stories. I guess when the outcome of the science is life and death with immediate consequences, it's easy to engage. I can’t tell you much more about the plot without ruining the good bits. If you have already watched the movie, you’ll know the main arc, but I would argue that the book is much better and definitely  worth reading. 

This book is so good. Not for anyone easily offended by bad words like the nannies at NASA. 

(Rated R (language), Score 10/10, audiobook read by R.C. Bray, 10:53)

Non-Fiction Books

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

It’s been almost 20 years since I worked in hospitality, but the experience changed me dramatically. I worked at several restaurants and bars in college, and those jobs changed the way I interact with people. I opened up and learned to listen and anticipate needs. This book is about the author’s journey. It starts early with his parents and takes us all the way to when his team becomes the number one restaurant in the world. This is a well-written book. The stories are crisp and meaningful. There are many leadership lessons and actionable ideas. As I listened to the audiobook, I often had to stop and make notes. This is not just a book about the high-end food business. It is a book about life and the pursuit of excellence. It is about learning how to connect with customers and teammates on a deeper level. It’s about making magic. I was recommending it to teammates before I was halfway through, and it got even better as it went on. Here are some ideas that stuck with me. 

~ “Because we always have” is a great flag that the rule/practice/process needs a closer look. 

~ Criticize in private. Praise in public. 

~ Morale is fickle. 

~ Make it cool to care. 

~ Choosing conflicting goals forces you to innovate. Hospitality versus excellence.

~ “It might not work” is a terrible reason not to try an idea. 

~ There is often a really good idea right behind a bad one.

~ Being right is irrelevant if you are trying to connect. Saying I’m sorry does not mean that you are wrong. It means you’re trying to build a bridge.

~ Praise is affirmation, but criticism is investment.

~ Slow down. DBC-deep breathing club. Ask for help. Systematize it. 

~ Start with what you want to achieve instead of limiting yourself to what’s achievable or sustainable.

~ Control and trust are not friends. 

The author told many stories about going above and beyond what people need when practicing hospitality. The ones that stuck with me were the ones where the team was able to listen to their customer’s needs and make custom miracles for them. Like the kids who had never seen snow, the staff bought two sleds and sent them to Central Park for some sledding. Or the group of foodies who hadn’t been able to try a famous New York hotdog, but Will heard them and bought one and plated it all fancy for them before they had to leave town. They even created a position called a Dreamweaver, whose job it is to make magic (unreasonable hospitality). By focusing on the people and making connections with them, the staff was able to change the restaurant industry to focus on people and not just the food. This lesson is valuable in most (if not all) industries. Be excellent and connect with people. 

This is for anyone looking for ways to make magic or take their service up a notch.

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 8:37)

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

It’s all invented. The social norms we observe, the rules, the fears, the dreams too. In my family, we say, “It’s all a big experiment.” That gives us permission to try, fail, and iterate with positivity. So why do we limit ourselves so often? Why don’t we dream bigger dreams? Why are we stuck in fear and shame? Probably lots of reasons. And it sucks! This book proposes a different mindset and twelve practices to open up brand-new worlds of possibilities. Following are the 12 practices and my notes on them:

1. It’s all invented. So, we have the power to invent new and wonderful things.
2. Stepping into a universe of possibility. Stepping away from a measurement culture. 
3. Giving an A. If you proactively give yourself and others an A, you will eliminate stress, fear, comparison, and other enemies of hope and innovation. 
4. Being a contribution.    
5. Leading from any chair. We don’t have to be in a position of authority to lead, contribute, engage, and build.
6. Rule Number 6. Don’t take yourself so G** D*** seriously. 
7. The way things are.  
8. Giving way to passion.  
9. Lighting a spark.  
10. Being the board. Instead of being a chess piece in a game you can’t control, see yourself as the game board. This allows you to have a completely different perspective, more control and responsibility, and ultimately more hope. 
11. Creating frameworks for possibility. This is the teacher who shaves her head so that the child in her class recovering from cancer is not alone and picked on. This new framework allows the other kids to engage in the recovery process- everyone’s hair grows back together. 
12. Telling the WE story. 

There are so many little stories and practical applications in this book. Each one calls the reader to open their mind and see the world differently. I will revisit this book later to soak up more of the wisdom. So, when you make a mistake, put your hands in the air, smile, and say, “How fascinating!” Thank you, Phil, for recommending this book.

This is for humans needing a boost of hope and a change of paradigm.

(Rated PG-13 (language), Score 9/10, audiobook read by the authors, 6:38)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Leadership is Language by David L. Marquet

Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child by John M. Gottman

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Life to the Fullest by Bryant Westbrook

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingles Wilder

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

I found this IG reel with Jordan Peterson talking about the path of maximum adventure. I’ve watched it at least a dozen times. “There’s no difference between responsibility and adventure. That’s a killer thing to know. The heavier the responsibility, the more profound the adventure…There’s no difference between that and the dragon and treasure stories… If there’s a dragon, there’s a treasure somewhere.”

This is so profound and so true. The times in my life when I have chosen the path of greatest responsibility have also resulted in my most wonderful adventures. This is a beautiful truth to teach to young men especially. I’ve read amazing stories of young men tackling unbelievable dragons of adventure, and these adventures result in skills and power that cannot be gained in any other way. The only way to win the gold is to defy the dragons. 

Here’s a real example from my life. My brother and his wife are some of the bravest and kindest people I know. A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of watching them legally adopt their two teenage nieces. They willingly chose the path of maximum responsibility to love, protect, and provide a home for these girls. What an adventure! (Teenage girls are terrifying, and now my poor brother is outnumbered by the five girls in his house, and he’s the only boy.) I am so proud of them. Their courage and kindness are paramount. I am so excited about the treasures they will find on this adventure. 

When you face challenges and danger and dragons, take a moment to shift your perspective and remember that on the other side of the dragon is gold, and the path of maximum responsibility is also the path of maximum adventure. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

FROM THE SPINE - SEPTEMBER 2024 BOOK REVIEWS

September 2024

I messed up this month. I started painting the interior of the house. Now it’s undeniable that this paint is past due, and all the other areas need it badly too. We spent a fair bit of time out at the soccer fields of Wichita. I’m still working on my recovery, though it feels more like strength training than torture now. Steps are still the enemy, but I am strong enough to work the stadium steps now. We also spent a fair bit of time at the pool to close the summer. The kids are much better swimmers now, which makes pool time much less stressful for me. 

Anyway, here are the books I finished in September and my reviews of them:

Fiction Books

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (One and Only #1)

The one and only Ivan is a mighty silverback gorilla. He is the master of his domain. He is a deep thinker and an artist. But his domain is a small cage in a weird shopping mall zoo. His friends include a small stray dog named Bob, an elephant named Stella, and a young girl named Julia. The animals can all speak to each other but the humans can’t understand any of the animals except the macaw. One day a baby elephant is delivered to the zoo. The sleazy zoo manager, Mack, is hoping to boost ticket sales with new talent. Poor Ruby gets worn out with all the shows they make her do and not enough food to eat. Stella has an infected foot, but vets cost money, so she doesn’t get the care she needs to recover so she dies, leaving Ivan with the mission of saving Ruby and giving her a better life. Ivan very solemnly makes the promise to save Ruby even though he doesn’t know how he will do it. Julia spends time with the animals while her dad cleans them all. She gives Ivan art supplies, and he comes up with a big plan. He paints a giant mural with Ruby pictured in a real zoo. Julia and her dad find the paintings and put them on the big billboard outside the mall, causing a big stir. Animal health people come and take all the animals (except Bob) to the real zoo, where they join families of their own kind. This is a great story for all ages. The characters are deep and complex, especially Ivan and Stella. 

This is for animal lovers.

(Rated G, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Adam Gripper, 3:46)

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate (One and Only #2)

Like most sequels, this book lacks some of the magic and depth of the first book, but it has a huge difference working in its favor: the audiobook is narrated by Danny DeVito! His voice and charisma are perfect for Bob. Bob is a small Chihuahua mix match of a dog who thinks he is a dangerous rebel. This book covers Bob's history and tosses him (literally) into a tornado/hurricane storm that hits the zoo, where his friends, Ivan and Ruby, live. Bob was visiting his friends at the zoo when the storm tears up the neighborhood. Dangerous animals get out of their cages. The humans join together to save the animals and restore the zoo. In the middle of the storm Bob fines Boss, his big sister. She has had a hard life living as a stray. In the end, Bob rescues, one of Boss’s pups and ends up adopting the little guy. Bob also learns about self-forgiveness, love, and the danger of poodles. Jet got a huge kick out of this book. He thought the dialogue and narrative was hilarious. We got a lot of good chuckles. 

This is for people needing a kind reminder to forgive themselves. 

(Rated G, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Danny DeVito, 3:50)

The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate (One and Only #3)

This is Ruby’s story. Ruby is the baby elephant in the zoo family. As she gets adopted into the herd, she works through a recovery process. She works to remember and heal from the pain in her past. She heals by telling her story to Ivan, Bob, and some of the other members of her new zoo family. Ruby remembers struggling to survive in Africa with her mother and their herd. Once she starts telling her story, the pain and drama keep on coming back. Ruby’s mother was killed for her tusk ivory, so Ruby associates tusks with death, not coming of age like the other elephants in the herd. As Ruby becomes part of the herd, she learns to ask two questions each day: 1- What amazed you today? 2- What did you do today that made you proud? So she’s asking, what gift did the world give her, and what gift did she give the world? These are excellent questions to ponder each day. 

This is for little elephants working through tough stuff. 

(Rated G, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Imani Parks, 3:05)

SpecOps by Craig Allison (Expeditionary Force #2)

Colonel Joe Bishop and his merry band of pirates are back for more sci-fi space fun in Book 2. Bishop made a promise to help the snarky AI he named Skippy in Book 1. Skippy is looking for a Communication (Comm) Node to contact The Elders, a group of super-intelligent beings who have transcended spacetime. Skippy and Joe put together a crew for a deep space mission. They collect Special Forces teams from five countries, some of the world's leading scientists, and a few brave souls who served aboard the Flying Dutchman on its first voyage. Skippy and Bishop were clever enough to set a hard deadline for getting the mission underway by programming the local wormhole to close at a specific time. This allows the crew to get set, loaded, and underway before too many Earth politicians can get involved. The team has two core missions- 1- Shut down the local wormhole so that Earth will be much harder to get to for other space-traveling species, and 2- Find a Comm Node for Skippy. The first mission is accomplished quickly and easily. After going through the wormhole, Skippy closes it using his Elder technology magic. The second mission turns out to be much more difficult. The crew hunts for known and unknown Elder sites, hoping to find a Comm Node, but without luck. They use their exploration opportunities to train on all the gear aboard the Flying Dutchman, including space piloting dropships, powered armor suits, and other alien tech. All this training pays off when the team accidentally jumps into a surprise attack. They fight their way clear, but their spaceship sustains terrible damage. They come up with a desperate plan. Skippy finds the only nearby planet that will sustain human life. He drops the human crew off there, then rebuilds the ship from materials available to him in the star system. While the team is on the planet, they are forced to hide from a group of Kristang scavengers working to find valuable Elder artifacts from ancient sites. Their time on the miserable planet leads to some critical discoveries about the history of the star systems they have visited. Someone pushed the small planet out of its orbit and into a species-killing ice age long ago, and someone evaporated an entire moon where an ancient elder site would have been. Given these discoveries, Skippy is scared and questioning all the history he thought he knew about The Elders. Bishop, Skippy, and the crew defeat a small fleet of ships planning to travel to Earth to finalize a Kristang clan thing. Then, the crew heads back to Earth to reboot. Who knows where they will go in the next book? 

This is for space cowboys. 

(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, ebook, 277p.)

Flames of Hope by Tui T. Sutherland (Wings of Fire #15)

We finally made it to the last book of this series. Luna, the FlameSilk, is the main character of this story, and she is on her way to save the world. The group of dragons with her are geared up for a stealth mission to find the book monkeys (humans) and take down the Othermind. Luna is filled with doubts and fears about how the mission will go and what her role will be. The dragon team is island hopping to Pantala, the continent where the Othermind and the Breath of Evil plant are taking over HiveWings and now SilkWings. The team is ambushed on an island by a group of dragons under the control of Queen Wasp and some other entity. Using the power of invisibility, some of the dragons escape, but Kibli, Moon, and Pineapple are captured. Luna, Cricket, Sky, and Wren head to the mainland, where they hunt the humans who are hiding in the caves, where they fear the Abyss is hiding. Luna and a baby refugee dragon named Dusky get lured into the Abyss and captured by the minds who dwell there. A dark creature made up of an ancient human named Cottonmouth, a dragon he stole and raised named Lizard, and the evil plant. Trapped in the Abyss, Cottonmouth uses the mind control power of the plant to show them their origin story going back 5000 years to a time when he ruled the human kingdom of Pyrrhia. His evil plan was to steal dragon eggs and attempt to break them and use them to conquer the world. Eventually, he stole enough eggs that the dragons went to war against the humans in a great massacre called The Scorching. Cottonmouth took his last dragon egg and sailed away to Pantala, where he discovered the Breath of Evil plant. He experimented with the plant and the baby dragon until it melded with them, creating an evil tangle bent on controlling all the dragons in the world. Luna and Dusky use their memories and the memories of each of their friends to show Lizard what it means to be a dragon. They show her what love, trust, and family look like. The fate of all dragons relies on Luna winning the heart and mind of the young dragon and fulfilling the third prophecy. The evil in Cottonmouth was intense enough to freak out the kids for a bit. We had to take a few breaks in the dark moments. I like the way the story wrapped up. 

This is for little dragons who need to finish all the books in the series. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Shannon McManus, 9:12)

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs (Moon Base Alpha #1)

Dash is a 12-year-old boy living in the first lunar habitat. This is a quick-paced “who dunnit” book. A leading scientist is murdered, and Dash becomes the lead investigator after hearing the older man having a conversation shortly before he goes for a solo moonwalk with his suit on wrong. Dash works all the angles, recruiting help from everyone he can as he tries to figure out who killed the man and why. Jet really liked the suspense and ending. We will have to check out the other two books in the series next. I liked the twists and turns. This felt a lot like Artimus, but without all the bad words. Thank you, Jennifer, for recommending this awesome book.

This is for young space enthusiasts. 

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Gibson Frazier, 6:28)

Non-Fiction Books

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

These are the 12 Rules for life discussed in the book: 

1. Stand up straight with your shoulders back. 
2. Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping. 
3. Make friends with people who want the best for you. 
4. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today. 
5. Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them. 
6. Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world. 
7. Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient. 
8. Tell the truth, or at least don’t lie. 
9. Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t. 
10. Be precise in your speech. 
11. Do not bother children when they are skateboarding. 
12. Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street. Dogs are ok, too. 

What an amazing and challenging book. Those twelve rules are surrounded by loads of philosophy, wisdom, wit, and personal experience. These rules are a subset of over 60 that the author posted on Quora and eventually paired down for this book. Each rule is designed to help us focus and survive in chaos. Each one is a tiny (or huge) way to bring order and meaning into your world when things fall apart. I noticed that each of these rules resonated in different areas of my life experience. For example, when I was young, athletic, and dangerous, it was second nature to stand up straight with my shoulders back, but time and desk work have taken my posture and turned me into something more bent and beaten down. I have been seeing echoes or repeats of these rules in other books and lessons and wisdom, too. I like the saying, “Do dangerous things carefully.”, which is another way of saying Rule 11. I tried Rule 12, but none of the neighborhood cats will let me pet them, so maybe I don’t understand that rule yet. Rule 10 is critical for me in my job. Precise speech is critical for me to be effective. Rule 5 challenged my parenting paradigm. Rule 7 is a challenge to not fall down the IG-scrolling rabbit hole. This is a deep and heavy book that deals head-on with some of the deepest, darkest bits of chaos in the world and tries to provide some pragmatic order or at least a framework to start working our way toward peace. 

This is not for snowflakes.

(Rated PG-13, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 15:40)

The Book of Charlie by David von Drehle

This is an incredible story about the 109-year life of Charlie White. Charlie grew up in the Kansas City area back before there were any of the modern tech marvels we rely on today. No airplanes, no computers, no interstate system, no antibiotics. His father was killed in an elevator accident when he was eight years old, so he became the man around the house. Charlie always had a positive attitude and an incredible ability to focus on what he could control and make the best out of the opportunities life threw at him. As a teenager, Charlie and three friends drove a Model T from Kansas City to Los Angeles, California. This was before there were roads. They earned enough money in the Kansas wheat fields to fund the trip and slept under the car or wherever they could find space. They had to fix the car along the way. When they hit LA, they were out of money. The rich kids’ parents bailed them out, but Charlie and another boy had to illegally hop trains to get back home. Their grit and determination were amazing. In college, Charlie learned how to play saxophone by listening to a new invention called radio. He started a band, and they made money playing all the school dances. He studied medicine and started up a general practice, but World War II interrupted his plans. Charlie’s luck, charm, and positive attitude landed him as chief anesthesiologist for Army hospitals. He was quick-witted, curious, and inventive in his practice and became very successful. His marriages were not as successful. He lost one wife to suicide, and another left because he wasn’t healed enough to husband correctly. Charlie never passed up an adventure. He invested in the people around him. He bridged the gap between horse and buggy times and our modern crazy world. Thank you, Peggy, for the recommendation. 

This is for anyone wondering what it takes to thrive in times of change. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by the author, 7:00)

Boundaries by Henry Cloud

Boundaries are hard. Boundaries are critical for healthy relationships. Boundaries are like fences. They establish what is us and what is not us. They are ways of communicating what is OK and what is not OK. This book is filled with stories, psychology, and wisdom. There are three parts. One is all about defining boundaries. Two covers boundary conflicts in different relationship types: from family to work, to self, to God. Three covers the development of healthy boundaries. The section that resonated with me was the section about developing healthy boundaries at work. The author makes it clear that the only person you can control or fix is yourself. If you have problems at work, all you can do is change yourself. It is disappointing to realize that there isn’t any magic to fix slackers, but it is also empowering to realize that by changing yourself, you can improve your situation. If a coworker relies on you too much, establishing boundaries can help balance the workload. This concept is a lot like monkey management. Make people responsible for their own monkeys. Overall, this is a great book. Some of the concepts are difficult to implement, even if you have a strong support system. But like Jocko says, “Discipline = freedom.” If you can do the work needed to develop healthy boundaries, you will experience peace, freedom, and relationships. 

This is for everyone dealing with stress in relationships. 

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Henry O. Arnold, 11:18) 

How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Don Clifton

Each of us has a bucket. Each of us also has a dipper. We can fill each other's buckets with positive words and affirmations, and we can dip out of buckets with negativity. This book teaches all about the buckets, the dippers, the magic of using positivity to fill other's buckets, and the dangers of draining buckets by being negative and unaware of our influence on others. There is also an interesting connection between our buckets and others. When we fill people's buckets, our own buckets are also filled. When we drain people's buckets, we will also feel a drain on ours. Every day, we have 20,000 moments that are opportunities for positivity toward ourselves and others. The net result of all our interactions is how full our buckets end up. How full your bucket is will affect how productive and energized you feel. The goal, then, is to fill up as many buckets as you can. Here are the five strategies for bucket filling: 1- Prevent Bucket Dipping. This is a negativity awareness strategy. Keep score if you need to. Stop being negative. Reframe the way you talk to yourself and others. Don’t poke holes in other people's buckets with negativity. 2- Shine a Light on What Is Right. Highlight successes rather than failures. Jump to what people do well rather than throwing rocks. 3- Make Best Friends. Build friendships with people who build you up and who you build up. 4- Give Unexpectedly. Surprise gifts, especially thoughtful gifts, have a brilliant ability to fill up buckets not just when given but often for the life of the gift. Gifts don’t have to be expensive to fill up buckets, either. Notes and coffee count, too. 5- Reverse the Golden Rule. Be aware of how people's buckets are filled best, and act accordingly. Not everyone loves public praise. Some people like awards, some people like cash, and some people like quiet affirmation. Know your people and fill their buckets with custom affirmations. This was a pretty short book, but it was a good reminder that we all have the power to influence those around us. Let us bring joy and positivity to those we interact with. Thank you, Adrian, for lending me this book.

 

This is for everyone.

(Rated G, Score 8/10, Hardcopy, 114 p.)

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

I've been avoiding this book for over 20 years. My friend Mike recommended it to me a long time ago, and he has been working on implementing the ideas in this book since we were working on the same paint crew. Here are the lessons outlined in the book by chapter.

1. The rich do not work for money. The poor and the middle-class work for money. The rich make money work for them.
2. Why teach financial literacy? It’s not how much money you make; it’s how much you keep.
3. Mind your own business. The rich focus on their asset columns while everyone else focuses on their income statements.
4. The history of taxes and the power of corporations.
5. The rich invent money. Often, in the real world, it's not the smart who get ahead but the bold.
6. Work to learn. Don't work for money. Job security meant everything to my educated dad; learning meant everything to my rich dad.
7. Overcoming obstacles- The primary difference between a rich person and a poor person is how they manage fear.
8. Getting started. There is gold everywhere. Most people are not trained to see it.
9. Still want more? Here are some to-do's.
10. Final Thoughts

This was a tough book. It touched on some insecurities I have about money and financial security. I like the ideas. They fit in with 4 Hour Work Week. The main idea is that most people burn money on things they need and things they want instead of putting their money to work for them in the form of investments in the asset column. Most poor and middle-class people work hard only to let their money run away from them. Schools don’t teach how to keep money and put it to work. The book also compares/contrasts the practices, advice, and lifestyles of two dads: a rich dad and an educated (but poor) dad. By showing both, the author drives home the lessons and differences in mindsets. I’ve done Dave Ramsey, so I’m not financially illiterate, but this book takes money to the next level. So now I’m on a mission to start trying to learn more about investing. Who’s coming with me? Send me all the best money books you have read. I realized after discussing this with Aubrey that I omitted an important lesson. The author emphasized that financial generosity was an area emphasized by his rich dad, and his poor dad always wanted to give money but never had any extra to give. I’ve been pondering Luke 6:38 lately, and it codifies this idea. 

This is for anyone wanting to break out of the rat race.

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Tom Parks, 8:22) 

Preview/Currently Reading-

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Life to the Fullest by Bryant Westbrook

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingles Wilder

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

Back in the day, when I bought my standing desk, I wanted a FluidStance balance board to go with it, but I didn’t have $400 to spend on one, so I made my own from all the free stuff I had sitting around. I have been using mine for a while now. I might make some more if I can get some interest. Let me know if you would be interested in one. I can customize colors and grip tapes. 

I’ll leave you with this quote from 12 Rules for Life:

“It is necessary to be strong in the face of death because death is intrinsic to life. It is for this reason I tell my students to aim to be the person at your father‘s funeral that everyone in their grief and misery can rely on. There is a worthy and noble ambition- Strength in the face of adversity. That is very different from the wish of a life free of trouble.”

When I first heard that, it wrecked me. It struck a deep chord in my soul. Strength in the face of death. Courage when things go wrong. Being ok when everything else is not ok, or at least ok enough to carry on and carry others. This is a strength I aspire to. This is a worthy and noble aim. Things fall apart. Bad things happen. It is who we are in these moments that define our character and our true strength. I want to be strong. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

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